CIHT is seeking views to inform its response to a new inquiry into the impact of street works by utility companies, launched by the Transport Committee.
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The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into the impacts of street works by utility companies. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transport (CIHT) will be submitting written evidence, and we are giving our members the opportunity to share their views.
The inquiry will investigate ways to help limit the damage and disruption to England’s roads and pavements that work carried out by utility companies can have. The committee will be examining how better management, regulation and enforcement could benefit both road users – including cyclists and pedestrians – and the local authorities charged with maintaining road surface quality and overseeing traffic flows. It will also look into the effectiveness of issuing fines to utility companies that mismanage their street works. The system of local authorities’ renting road lanes out to utility companies and to what extent this incentivises timely completion of street works will also come under scrutiny, as well as other potential examples of best practice.
The Committee has invited written evidence submissions that addresses:
The effect of utility works on road and pavement surface quality and on maintenance needs and costs, and how local authorities can manage this.
Whether local authorities have sufficient powers and resources to manage the effect of street works on congestion, travel disruption, pavement access and accessibility.
The effectiveness of processes for notification of works and obtaining permits, including the classification of emergency works and opportunities for coordinated works, and what makes for a good working relationship between utility companies and highway authorities.
Whether fines are a sufficient deterrent to poor practice, whether other enforcement mechanisms would work better, and whether the inspections regime introduced in 2023 has improved the quality of reinstatement works.
Whether lane rental is a successful model, the potential merits of making it available in more areas, and what other tools or best practices could be more widely adopted.
You can read the full call for evidence here: Call for Evidence - Committees - UK Parliament
CIHT represents a diverse and influential range of industry stakeholders, across 12 UK regions and a number of international groups and we want to ensure that your views are represented in our response.
If you would like to support CIHT in its response, please share your views, experiences and evidence with technical@ciht.org.uk by the end of the day 20/12/2024.
Join other savvy professionals just like you at CIHT. We are committed to fulfilling your professional development needs throughout your career
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