Bournemouth, Christchurch, Motoring & Transport, Poole | Posted on December 16th, 2025 | return to news
Plan to cut roadwork disruption in Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole
Local people can have their say on whether a Local Lane Rental Scheme should be implemented.
Motorists will be pleased to hear that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is looking to cut disruption when roadworks are taking place.
The authority is giving people until midnight on Sunday 1 February 2026 to have their say on a Local Lane Rental Scheme.
This would encourage utility companies and contractors, including its own works teams, to plan work more effectively so that less time is needed to complete them and more work is carried out at quieter times.
Government-endorsed Lane Rental Schemes allow a highway authority (a council) to charge up to £2,500 a day for works on its busiest roads. The daily rate varies depending on the type of work, when they will be carried out, and the disruption it is expected to cause.
Higher rates are charged at busier times – incentivising roadworks to be planned at off-peak times and to be carried out more efficiently. The income received is ring-fenced to fund the operation of the scheme and any surplus is re-invested in measures including proposals that further reduce roadwork disruption.
To implement a lane rental scheme, the council would need to apply to the Secretary of State for Transport. Any submission as a part of the process requires the council to have consulted with residents and key stakeholders.
Cllr Andy Hadley, whose portfolio includes highways for BCP Council, said: “It is our responsibility to keep traffic moving and reduce inconvenience to residents and road users. We know there is never an ideal time for roadworks, but they are necessary to maintain and improve the public infrastructure that is essential to our communities.
“These proposals will incentivise contractors to schedule works at quieter times of the day and take less time to complete them, reducing disruption across our busiest routes.
“We know lane rental has been a success where it is already in place, boosting local businesses by reducing congestion.”
Lane Rental Schemes have already been introduced at a handful of local authorities and have resulted in reduced congestion and shorter durations of roadworks.
In the first 16 months of the scheme being in operation in West Sussex, it has reduced the time taken for roadworks by a combined 3,083 days and seen the length of time taken for utility roadworks shortened by 32.48 per cent.
No more than 10 per cent of the road network can be designated for inclusion in a Local Lane Rental Scheme. This means that the roads proposed for inclusion are determined by a combination of assessing the volume of traffic, number of bus routes, and average number of roadworks along them.
There is a natural flexibility built into schemes, and, if an application is submitted and approved, the council would be permitted to make minor variations of up to three per cent per year to adjust which roads would be subject to lane rental charges. This allows the council to ensure that the scheme is effectively targeted, in line with community feedback and changing traffic flows.
After analysing the consultation feedback, the council will decide whether to apply to the Secretary of State for permission to operate a lane rental scheme.
Put forward your views at: https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/lane-rental-scheme.
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