Manchester starts up co-ordinated streetworks scheme

ROAD MAINTENANCE

All street works across the ten Greater Manchester authorities were from this week co-ordinated and managed by a central unit based at Transport for Greater Manchester.

The DfT-approved scheme, which, unlike London’s, covers all local roads, cycleways and footways across the conurbation’s 9,157km highways network and not only ‘traffic sensitive’ streets, started on 29 April. It is the first permit scheme to be administered by a central body on behalf of a number of local highway authorities.

Any organisation planning to carry out work now has to apply and pay for a permit in advance. Applications will be rejected if works are considered too disruptive and penalty notices will be issued if works overrun or conditions are not met. Over 14,000 street works take place across Greater Manchester every year.

Lord Peter Smith, chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said: “This will benefit all road users – drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Through tighter controls and improved co-ordination, we expect to cut travel times, keep fuel costs down and make our roads safer.”

The permit fees range from £240 for major works on traffic sensitive streets to £10 for minor works on non-traffic sensitive streets.

The DfT earlier this year issued guidance on permit schemes that emphasises that councils should target permit schemes on the busiest traffic streets, either applying to only traffic sensitive streets or else heavily discounted on non-traffic sensitive streets (LTT 25 Jan).

TfGM claimed that the scheme would be cost-neutral, with permits paying for the administration costs, and any surplus created will in future result in a reduced permit cost. The schemes objectives include the reduction of average works durations by 5% to 10%.

Norman Baker, the minister for local transport, said that permit schemes “have already shown in places like Kent that they will not only help to reduce local congestion, but also provide a better service to drivers, cyclists and passengers”.

Local authorities will be given the power to implement schemes without DfT approval in future – but not until at least 2015.

Discuss this at LTT's Future of Highways North event on the 18 June