Johnson pins hope on lane rental to ease capital’s traffic snarl-ups

Transport for London expects traffic delays on some of the capital’s busiest roads to be substantially reduced following last month’s introduction of daily charges for roadworks. Andrew Forster spoke to Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s chief operating officer, surface transport, about the country’s first lane rental scheme

Andrew Forster

06 July 2012

Lane rental charges will only apply within Congestion Management Areas, which cover 57% – about 330km – of the Transport for London Road Network

An interesting set of roadworks that would have cost quite a lot of money in lane rental charges if it had not just been completed is Hammersmith flyover. - Garrett Emmerson

Any surplus revenues from lane rental must be spent on measures to reduce roadworks disruption, such as new technologies

Months of ministerial ear-bending by London’s mayor Boris Johnson finally paid off last month with the launch of the country’s first lane rental scheme. Daily charges will apply to roadworks and streetworks on 57% of the Transport for London Road Network – about 330km (205 miles) in all. The aim is for charges to encourage works undertakers to adopt new ways of working – shifting their work outside of charging hours or adopting new methods and technologies to minimise...