The RAC Foundation believes there is a future for lane rental schemes after the trials in London and Kent.
In its response to the Department for Transport consultation, the Foundation said “it supports the use of lane rental to promote more efficient planning and management of road works.”
“Confronting operators with an approximate cost to road users of the disruption from road works should enable properly informed trade-offs to be made between the additional costs of reduced and retimed occupations with the costs of disruption to traffic flows as reflected in the charge rates. By setting these charges in advance, operators will be able to compile staff rotas, order plant and materials and programme works in a way that minimises the additional costs of restricted working and rental payments.
“From the LHAs viewpoint lane rental should assist them in managing the incidence of road works on busy routes in their area in order to avoid excessive congestion from individual openings and interaction between proximal road works.”
