Disruption from roadworks across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is expected to be halved after a scheme to charge utility companies up to £2500 for delayed works is introduced. According to the Bournemouth Echo, BCP Council wants to submit an application to implement a lane rental scheme on more than 100 roads across BCP.

This equates to about 9.9 per cent of the road network across the region.

The scheme aims to get contractors and utility companies to carry out works at quieter times to lessen the disruption to travel caused by on going roadworks. There are four bends that works can be placed into which determines how much companies will have to pay for carrying out works at the busiest times.

Band one covers road closures and single carriageway road occupancy and band two covers all carriageway remedial works; both bands will cost companies £2500. Band three covers single lane occupancy of dual carriageways and will cost companies £2000. Band four is for works on cycle lanes and will cost £1500.

At a transport advisory group meeting on February 25 members heard the scheme could take up to 12 months to implement.

Richard Pearson, transport network manager, said:

“The interim position which was considered was that we’ll introduce this scheme and it will result in in a halving of roadworks on the defined network. The other assumption was the do maximum approach, so we do the scheme and we get a 69 per cent reduction in roadworks on critical routes.”

He also told the committee:

“The scheme is expected to bring in £2.3million per year, of that £450,000 would be from our own maintenance and improvement work ad it is expected to cost the utility companies £1.85million.”

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