Firms to be charged for works on busiest roads

Firms carrying out work on some of Oxfordshire's busiest roads can now be charged up to £2,500 a day under a new scheme aimed at cutting congestion.

The lane rental programme is designed to encourage companies to complete roadworks faster and reduce disruption for drivers, bus passengers and businesses.

Oxfordshire County Council said it could generate about £2m a year, with the money raised legally required to be reinvested into highways maintenance and transport improvements.

The authority said the scheme uses powers made available by central government and follows similar programmes already operating in London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex.

The council's cabinet member for transport management, Andrew Gant, said the policy was "principally about managing congestion" and improving journey reliability.

The scheme applies to the county's busiest 10% of roads, including key routes in Oxford like Botley Road, Abingdon Road, Woodstock Road and Banbury Road.

It also covers Oxfordshire's section of the A40 and roads in towns including Banbury, Bicester, Carterton, Henley, Wantage and Abingdon.

Charges can apply daily, including weekends and bank holidays, encouraging utility companies, developers and contractors to plan works more efficiently.

Emergency works are exempt from charges for the first 48 hours.

The authority said it receives about 30,000 roadworks permit requests each year.

Gant said: "It is designed to encourage them to do that work more efficiently, to do it more quickly and to do it better."

Even the county council itself is not exempt, meaning its own roadworks will also be subject to the same rules.

Thames Water said many disruptive works were essential, while SSEN said it shared the council's aim of minimising unnecessary disruption.