East London council issues 'lane rental scheme' in bid to tackle roadworks at busy times

An east London council could soon introduce a ‘lane rental scheme’ in a bid to dissuade roadworks taking place during busy times.

Havering Council will soon consider a scheme which would see companies pay for each day a road is closed between peak times of 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm.

Around 12% of Havering’s road network would be covered by the scheme.

The council says the aim is to “encourage better planning” - meaning less disruption on arterial roads and fewer delays for motorists.

The scheme was proposed by the previous Havering Residents Association administration, and will be considered by the new Reform cabinet next week.

The authority has listed 100 roads and sections that would be part of the scheme, in a report published this week. They include several stretches of Main Road, North Street and Hornchurch’s high street.

Roads classed high-importance would carry a daily charge of up to £2,500, while companies would be charged £1,500 for medium-importance roads and £1,000 for the lowest, as per traffic-flow data.

Fees would be waived for the first 24 hours of “genuine immediate emergency works,” the report adds.

Based on data from 2022/23, it would cost utility companies £977,500 and highways companies £442,000.

That would bring in a total of £1.42million for the cash-strapped town hall, though £200,000 will be needed for three new staff roles overseeing the scheme.

Half the money raised will go towards highway maintenance and pothole repairs. The other 50% will go towards initiatives aimed at reducing congestion on the borough’s roads, or speeding up roadworks.

Last December, the council agreed to submit a draft rental scheme for approval by the Secretary of State for Transport. It was rubber-stamped in June this year.

It is one of several initiatives in London. Last year, the neighbouring Redbridge Council launched a similar scheme.