www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk


APRIL 2014 Keeping London moving


From trialling innovative technology to introducing the UK’s fi rst lane rental scheme, Mark Beasley, head of planned interventions at Transport for London (TfL) talks through how London is working together to better manage roadworks and further reduce disruption


Ask any driver what their biggest frustration is and, within 30 seconds, the word “roadworks” will no doubt get mentioned. The frustration of sitting in congestion for what seems like hours, only to fi nd that the disruption was caused by a coned off area with no-one working is well known, and


something which quite often could be simply avoided.


London’s roads are vital to the UK’s economy, carrying not only daily commuters, tourists and the school run, but also helping freight deliveries make their way across the UK. That’s why the Mayor of London and TfL are doubling their investment in the road network from £2 billion to £4bn across the next 10 years, helping to deliver the recommendations of the Mayor’s Roads Task Force (RTF) to tackle the challenges facing London’s streets and roads. This independent body brought together a wide range of interests and expertise, united in the belief that the capital needs a long-term strategy for roads and a commitment to major investment in street management and urban design.


As part of this, we have been extremely focused in the last few years on reducing the disruption which can occur from roadworks on the highway. Delays and disruption caused by roadworks is estimated to cost London’s economy approximately £750m a year so it is vital in this day and age to ensure that, while we need to maintain vital utilities, we also need to ensure they are well managed and carried out in the most appropriate way.


In January 2010, London was the fi rst place in the UK to introduce a permit scheme for roadworks which required any company who wished to dig up the road to apply for a permit. This would only be granted if the company could demonstrate that it is doing all it could to minimise disruption, otherwise the


“London was the fi rst place in the UK to


introduce a permit scheme for roadworks” Mark Beasley


carried out by Transport for London (TfL) in the lane rental


areas avoided jamming up


these busy roads


at peak times. In doing so, the amount of serious and severe disruption caused by planned roadworks has


been cut by 46 per cent on the capital’s busiest roads, reducing delays for all road users.


Any surplus money raised through the lane rental scheme is reinvested into measures to further reduce the disruption. All the main utility companies are also now signed up to the use of rapid


highway authority could reject it. This scheme had an additional benefi t of allowing greater coordination between highway authorities and companies, allowing more joined-up working to take place, further reducing the impact the works would have. As of April 2013, all London boroughs have introduced the London Permit Scheme, and Traffi c Police Community Support Offi cers (TPCSOs) are now able to clamp down on any roadworks that are outside of their permit, helping to further reduce unnecessary disruption.


Further measures


However, sometimes further measures are required to ensure that the key arterial roads are kept free, especially through peak hours. In June 2012, we introduced the UK’s fi rst targeted and avoidable lane rental scheme on the busiest sections of the TfL road network, the main arterial roads into and around London, which encourages utility companies to avoid digging up the busiest roads at peak traffi c times or pay a daily charge. During its fi rst year in operation, around 90 per cent of utility works and 99 per cent of works


drying materials, considerably reducing the amount of time required to reopen roads and helping to save approximately 2,700 days of disruption across London. We are also working with the utility industry to develop new, quicker ways of carrying out repairs. An example of this is Southern Gas Network’s recent trials of CISBOT, which complete repairs to joints on some of its larger iron gas mains without the need for multiple excavations in the road or taking the gas main out of service. By encouraging further use of these technologies, we can reopen roads quicker, signifi cantly reducing traffi c disruption.


The introduction of the London Permit Scheme, as well as the UK’s fi rst lane rental scheme in London has already delivered signifi cant benefi ts across the capital. By developing this scheme, working closely with the utility industry and staying at the forefront of innovation and world-leading technologies, we can continue to reduce disruption and keep all road users on London’s road network moving.


For more information on what TfL is doing to improve London’s roads, visit www.tfl .gov.uk


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