Lane rental – plotting the way forward in the age of disruption

If you've been stuck in a traffic jam caused by roadworks this summer, you will understand the Local Government Association's (LGA) urgency in asking the government to grant councils the power to introduce a daily rate or lane rental for digging up certain busy roads. According to the LGA, the country currently has a £12 billion backlog of repairs, and one in five roads is classed as being in poor condition, so something has to give, and why should it always be the road user? But what advantage does the lane rental model have over permits? And how easy will it be for councils to follow early adopters Kent County Council and Transport for London and dramatically cut disruption? Jonathan Williams, Product Consultant of Yotta, UK, believes lane rental is a great idea, but not necessarily the easy option. Success, Williams says, lies in the execution. So what do councils need to think about to get it right? This article takes a look at the key challenges roadworks pose and looks in detail at the viability of lane rental in providing a solution.