Scheme to ease Wokingham roadwork congestion to be discussed
A scheme to reduce motoring misery by strengthening Wokingham council’s powers to coordinate roadworks, is due to be discussed by Wokingham Borough Council’s decision-making executive on Thursday January 31.
The executive will decide whether to apply to the secretary of state for permission to run one of the first permit schemes in the country for all future roadworks in the Wokingham Borough, at its meeting next week.
If the executive gives the go-ahead and the proposal is approved by the Department for Transport, any company or organisation wishing to carry out work on the highways would need to get the council’s permission before starting any work. It would be one of the only roadwork permit schemes to be operational in the UK.
Currently companies needing to carry out work on the borough’s roads are only required to tell the council it will be doing work, which can make it difficult for the council to manage the road network effectively.
The permit system would give the council the ability to make companies work together and carry out their work on the roads at the same time. The council could also set the terms and conditions, time and nature of the work to ensure roads are managed as effectively as possible and disruption to road users is kept to a minimum.
If the executive agrees to apply to the Department for Transport for approval in April 2008 a consultation would be undertaken with utility companies and other interested parties.
If it is approved, the scheme could be in place and running across the Wokingham Borough by October 2008.
Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for Wokingham highways and transport, said: “The permit scheme would allow Wokingham Borough Council to take control of what roadworks happen and when, so that motorists aren’t disrupted time and again on the same stretch of road.
“It would give us the opportunity to coordinate all roadworks so that a road isn’t dug up by one company one week and then dug up by a different company just weeks later. If this scheme goes through it could have major benefits for all road users around the borough by reducing unnecessary congestion and disturbance.”
The executive will decide whether to apply to the secretary of state for permission to run one of the first permit schemes in the country for all future roadworks in the Wokingham Borough, at its meeting next week.
If the executive gives the go-ahead and the proposal is approved by the Department for Transport, any company or organisation wishing to carry out work on the highways would need to get the council’s permission before starting any work. It would be one of the only roadwork permit schemes to be operational in the UK.
Currently companies needing to carry out work on the borough’s roads are only required to tell the council it will be doing work, which can make it difficult for the council to manage the road network effectively.
The permit system would give the council the ability to make companies work together and carry out their work on the roads at the same time. The council could also set the terms and conditions, time and nature of the work to ensure roads are managed as effectively as possible and disruption to road users is kept to a minimum.
If the executive agrees to apply to the Department for Transport for approval in April 2008 a consultation would be undertaken with utility companies and other interested parties.
If it is approved, the scheme could be in place and running across the Wokingham Borough by October 2008.
Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for Wokingham highways and transport, said: “The permit scheme would allow Wokingham Borough Council to take control of what roadworks happen and when, so that motorists aren’t disrupted time and again on the same stretch of road.
“It would give us the opportunity to coordinate all roadworks so that a road isn’t dug up by one company one week and then dug up by a different company just weeks later. If this scheme goes through it could have major benefits for all road users around the borough by reducing unnecessary congestion and disturbance.”
Wokingham Borough Council
<< Home