New measures could generate up to £100 million extra over 10 years to resurface roads across England
- new proposals from the UK Government’s Plan for Drivers to cut traffic caused by street works
- utility companies that allow works to overrun face increased fines, which could generate up to £100 million extra to improve local roads
- launch of consultation follows record £8.3 billion increase to resurface roads across England as government continues to back drivers
A crackdown on disruptive roadworks could cut congestion for millions of drivers and generate up to £100 million extra to resurface roads, as the first key measures from the UK government’s Plan for Drivers are delivered today (15 January 2024).
Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, has launched a street works consultation on a series of measures to prevent utility companies from letting roadworks overrun and clogging up traffic as a result.
The consultation seeks to extend the current £10,000 per day fine for overrunning street works into weekends and bank holidays as a deterrent for working on the busiest days for road travel.
Currently, utility companies are only fined for disruption on working days. The measures could double fines from £500 up to a maximum of £1,000 for companies that breach conditions of the job, such as working without a permit.
The plans would also direct at least 50% of money from lane rental schemes to be used to improve roads and repair potholes. Lane rental schemes allow local highway authorities to charge companies for the time that street and road works occupy the road.
As a result, the measures could generate up to £100 million extra over 10 years to resurface roads while helping tackle congestion, cutting down journey times and helping drivers get from A to B more easily.
Launching on National Pothole Day, the consultation is part of a series of measures from the government’s Plan for Drivers, a 30-point plan to support people’s freedoms to use their cars, curb over-zealous enforcement measures and back drivers.
Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “After investing an extra £8.3 billion to resurface roads across England, the largest ever increase in funding for local road improvements, this government continues to back drivers with these new measures from our Plan for Drivers.
“Our new proposals seek to free up our roads from overrunning street works, cut down traffic jams and generate up to £100 million extra to resurface roads up and down the country.”
Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, said: “Being stuck in traffic is infuriating for drivers. Too often traffic jams are caused by overrunning street works.
“This government is backing drivers, with a robust approach to utility companies and others, who dig up our streets. We will seek to massively increase fines for companies that breach conditions and fine works that overrun into weekends and bank holidays while making the rental for such works help generate up to an extra £100 million to improve local roads.”
While it’s essential that gas, water and other utility companies carry out vital maintenance work to provide the services we all rely on, the 2 million street works carried out in England in 2022 to 2023 have cost the economy around £4 billion by causing severe road congestion and disrupting journeys.
The consultation comes after the Westminster government introduced a performance-based street works regime to ensure utility companies resurface roads to the best possible standard, and new lane rental schemes where utility companies can be charged up to £2,500 per day for street works.
The measures can also help boost active travel by preventing street works from disrupting walking, wheeling and cycling while also providing opportunities to improve pavements and pedestrian crossings and make repairs to pavements and cycle lanes.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Overrunning roadworks and poorly reinstated roads from utility companies frustrate drivers and cause unnecessary congestion, and trench defects can damage vehicles and injure those on 2 wheels.
“We are pleased that the government is looking to extend the fines for over-running street works, invest more of the surplus fines in roads and ensure that those who dig up the roads repair them to a high and timely standard.”
In addition, the government plans to make all temporary, experimental or permanent restrictions on traffic digital. These so-called traffic regulation orders (TROs) include things like the location of parking spaces, road closures and speed limits.
Making these digital means they must now be added to satnav systems, ensuring drivers have the most up-to-date information, making journeys easier and paving the way for more reliable autonomous vehicles.
RAC Head of Policy, Simon Williams, said: “Drivers shouldn’t have to put up with temporary roadworks for any longer than is necessary, so we’re pleased to see the government is looking to do more to guarantee that utility companies minimise disruption by carrying out roadworks as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“They should also leave roads in better condition than they found them, which unfortunately is hardly ever the case at the moment.”
The measures follow the biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements, with £8.3 billion of redirected High Speed 2 (HS2) funding – enough to resurface over 5,000 miles of roads across England – as the government continues to be on the side of drivers and improve journeys for more people, in more places, more quickly.
Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Neil Baker, said: “I welcome the launch of the government’s street works consultation to consider measures aimed at preventing utility roadworks overrunning.
“We have already piloted a pioneering lane rental scheme on some of our roads, which encourages utility companies to work in the most efficient way to minimise disruption for the traveling public in Kent.
“I will continue to work with government, the Department for Transport and other stakeholders to find ways we can reduce congestion in order to keep Kent moving.”
Clive Bairsto, Chief Executive of Street Works UK, said: “Utilities perform a vital role in connecting households, working to the highest standards, while complying with rigorous inspections to ensure works are high quality and lasting.
“We look forward to engaging constructively with government throughout this consultation, representing our members and the wider industry, to ensure both utilities and local authorities can deliver infrastructure works while giving customers and road users the speed of delivery, lack of congestion and transparency they expect.”
POTHOLE PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED
A new partnership has been launched by road users and industry to help tackle the scourge of potholes. It comes as shock new figures have been released by the AA which show that pothole damage to vehicles has hit a five year high.
The research, released on National Pothole Day, reveals that the motoring organisation dealt with 631,852 pothole related incidents in 2023, the highest for five years.
Now the newly-formed Pothole Partnership has unveiled a five-point pledge to help tackle the issue, and they are using it to lobby local and national government.
The coalition, which represents the interests of drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, and road repairers, has been formed by the AA, the National Motorcyclists Council, British Cycling, IAM RoadSmart, the British Motorcyclists Federation and JCB, which manufacturers the award-winning Pothole Pro machine.
Last year pothole damage to vehicles cost a staggering £474,000,000, according to the new figures released by the Pothole Partnership.
AA President Edmund King said: “Last year AA patrols dealt with more than 600,000 pothole-related incidents which on a national scale will have cost drivers almost half a billion pounds.
“Currently, we often have a vicious circle of: pothole formed; damage caused; pothole patched; pothole reappears with more damage caused – when what we need are more permanent repairs.
“Potholes are the number one concern for 96% of drivers and can be fatal for those on two wheels so hopefully pressure from the Pothole Partnership will lead to permanent repairs.”
JCB General Manager Ben Rawding said: “Tackling the national backlog of potholes properly will involve investment in innovation and new technologies to ensure permanent fixes, not temporary repairs. Britain’s motorists, motorcyclists and cyclists deserve nothing less.”
The AA dealt with 632,000 incidents in 2023 of tyre, wheel, steering, and suspension damaged by potholes which, if rounded up on a national scale, represents 2 million vehicles affected by poor road maintenance.
This is an increase of 16.39% when compared to 2022 (543,000). As most new cars don’t come with a spare tyre as standard, pothole punctures are costing drivers more time and money.
Last month’s figure of 62,000 was an increase of 15.2% when compared to December 2022 (54,000).