New legislation to boost London no-dig?

Legislation currently being prepared by the Department for Transport (DfT) could see trenchless works in London, UK, receive a boost, if a new lane rental scheme is approved.

Under the scheme, Transport for London (TfL) will be able to levy lane rental charges on utility companies working on congested routes or at busy times. But it could also mean that in some instances, contractors will have to resort to no-dig techniques to undertake repairs quickly and with minimal disruption, not to mention striving for better workmanship standards. This is hoped will encourage utility companies to carry out works overnight to avoid disrupting peak travel.

Some of the revenue raised by the scheme will go toward new technologies, including quick-curing materials and improved plating technologies.

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner, said that the rental scheme, the first of its kind in the UK, will reduce the number of unnecessarily prolonged and disruptive roadworks that occur each day in the capital.
“Any surplus raised by the scheme will be invested by TfL and utility companies into new and innovative working methods, helping to further ensure that works take place outside the charging periods, allowing utilities, road users and Londoners to benefit greatly,” he said.

The scheme follows on from London Mayor Boris Johnson’s Roadwork Pledge, which stated, among other things, that all road works in London should take up as little road/sidewalk space as possible, have a compact working area and eliminate the unnecessary use of cones, safety barriers and storage of materials.
It is hoped the scheme – the first of its kind in the UK – will be in operation by the summer.