Southampton City Council proposes to introduce a Lane Rental Scheme for highways and utility companies

The council is seeking to introduce a Lane Rental Scheme on some of its road network, to help manage the impact of works on the highway network, which will reduce delays for residents and businesses and raise revenue which will be reinvested into upgrading and protecting our roads

The scheme will allow the council to charge for works conducted on Southampton’s busiest roads during peak hours, encouraging companies to schedule work outside of peak hours, or adopt more efficient ways of working to reduce the time it takes to travel.

Residents and businesses will benefit as it will reduce congestion and make it easier and quicker to travel around. This will then result in improving air quality due to vehicles not idling and enhance public transport reliability.

As part of the plans for the Lane Rental Scheme, the council is currently consulting on the proposals and is seeking views from those potentially affected by the introduction of a Lane Rental Scheme and other interested parties. The consultation is currently live for people to have their say until Thursday 6 March.

To implement the scheme, the council must secure approval from the Department for Transport (DfT). Responses to the consultation will be considered by the council to determine whether any changes will be required before it makes an application to the DfT.

The council’s proposed Lane Rental Scheme is in accordance with the Street Works (Charges for Occupation of the Highway) (England) Regulations 2012 (the Lane Rental Regulations) made under Section 74A.

To have your say on the Lane Rental Scheme and to find out more information, please visit the consultation.

Councillor Eammon Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:

“The council is seeking to introduce a Lane Rental Scheme to achieve an extra level of control of roadworks and street works taking place on the network. The scheme will limit the level of disruption to the road network by encouraging the undertaking of works at the least disruptive time for road users and incentivise the earlier completion of works, as well as raising income for the council to spend on roads.

“The lane rental scheme will help reduce congestion from works on the busiest roads at the busiest times reducing the impact on roadworks have on people’s journeys. This will help with the commitment to Southampton’s Local Transport Plan and the Green City Plan, which aims to deliver a resilient city through a well-managed highway and a cleaner, greener, healthier and a more sustainable city”.