Tougher rules needed for utility firms digging up roads, MPs say
A new watchdog should also be appointed to manage the disruption caused by firms carrying out work on pipes and cables in England.
Transport Committee chairwoman Ruth Cadbury said a pattern of repeated works can feel like a 'recurring nightmare' for road users.
Under current rules, utility firms are responsible for the quality of the road surfaces they have reinstated for two years after works have completed, or three years in the case of deeper excavations.
The committee called for that period to be extended to five years so council tax payers do not have to pick up the bill for repairing potholes caused by shoddy remediation work.
Other recommendations from the committee included:
– Tighter use of immediate permits enabling companies to dig up roads with little or no notice given to the local authority.
– A new streetworks commissioner, similar to the Scottish roadworks tsar, to monitor performance and resolve disputes.
– The wider use of lane rental schemes, charging firms up to £2,500 a day to incentivise quicker completion of works.
– Better co-operation so utility firms and housing developers can work on the same bit of road at the same time rather than have repeated closures.
Labour MP Ms Cadbury acknowledged that ageing infrastructure under the roads needed to be maintained and upgraded and extra cables and pipes were required for new homes.
'But as every road user knows, street works can feel like a recurring nightmare,' she said.
The committee's recommendations would make a huge difference if they were implemented, she said.
'Upping the quality of reinstatement works will help stem the never-ending plague of potholes on local roads.
'Lane rental schemes should provide a financial incentive to complete works on time.
'And longer-term planning and earlier notification should help councils prevent the infuriating occurrence of multiple roads being closed in one locality, or the same road being dug up multiple times in one year.'
A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'We wholeheartedly agree that streetworks are far too disruptive for drivers and that is why we have taken action to prevent the impact on drivers.
'We've cracked down on streetwork companies overrunning or leaving roads poorly repaired by ramping up fines and giving local authorities new powers to coordinate roadworks more efficiently and will put measures in place so 50% of surplus lane rental funds must be invested into highway maintenance.
'We are determined to end the pothole plague, which is why we are already investing £1.6 billion this year to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes this year.'
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