Bonus For Road Works That Don’t Cause Traffic Congestion

Published on: 13 Feb, 2021
Updated on: 14 Feb, 2021

Road works traffic congestion in Bridge Street, Guildford in 2018

A plan to reduce congestion on the county’s busiest roads is to start in April.

The lane rental scheme will offer a financial bonus to utility companies and county council highways teams who close a road or lane for repairs to work during off-peak hours or operate in other ways to lessen the impact on traffic.

In an average year, there are 42,000 works on Surrey’s 3,000 miles of roads. Charges will be applied for works which cause delay at peak times on the busiest routes which make up 7.5% of the road network.

Revenue from any charges will fund the scheme’s operational costs and any surplus funds will be re-invested in initiatives that further minimise disruption caused by roadworks, such as innovative engineering solutions and new materials to reinstate the highway more quickly.

Surrey is the first local authority to adopt the lane rental scheme after successful pioneer schemes in London and Kent which led to new government guidance encouraging uptake.

Transport minister Baroness Vere said: “Roadworks can cause major congestion, particularly at peak times. This scheme will incentivise companies to move roadworks outside peak hours, helping everyone to get on with their journeys”

Cllr Matt Furniss

Matt Furniss (Con, Shalford), SCC cabinet member for transport, said: “We’re always looking at ways to reduce congestion and keep Surrey moving.

“It is vital that organisations including our own, have access to maintain and improve our roads.

“We want this to continue at quieter times when disruption for residents can be minimised, or by using different methods to limit the impact of the works at busy times.”

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