How lane rental scheme could end rush hour jams

Date: 22/8/2011

The Department for Transport has launched a consultation and published guidance on its proposed lane rental scheme.

Should it prove successful, it is hoped the initiative will render traffic disruption during rush hours a thing of the past.

Under the plans, councils would have the ability to charge utility firms a fee should they want to carry out construction or digging work at a time when the roads are at their busiest.

Should they wish to avoid the charge, companies could instead schedule the work for a quieter period, or night-time if this is appropriate.

It is believed that this will deter utility providers from planning anything that potentially disrupts traffic flow during morning and evening rush hours.

The consultation will run until October 31st and the Department has proposed using the scheme initially in one metropolitan and one non-urban locale in order to gather evidence and assess its effectiveness.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond says: "[Traffic] disruption is expensive as well as inconvenient, with one estimate valuing the loss to the economy from road works congestion at £4 billion a year. We simply cannot afford this."

In May, Roads Minister Mike Penning unveiled plans aimed at tackling the problem of congestion resulting from motorway closures, which included finance for laser scanning equipment to help police officers carry out at-the-scene accident investigations quicker.

Posted by Mary Treen