The council is introducing a new Lane Rental Scheme to reduce the disruption caused by street and road works in high-traffic areas – and also working with Transport for London (TfL) to speed up bus journeys through the borough.
The Department of Transport has given Lambeth the green light to implement a Lane Rental Scheme, enabling the council to charge companies for carrying out roadworks during traffic-sensitive times.
Lambeth will be one of the first London boroughs to enact the scheme, which aims to reduce disruption by incentivising organisations like utility companies to carry out works when roads are less busy. This will also encourage companies to reduce the duration of works and tackle areas of the borough where there are high levels of unplanned work.
From April, the council will be able to charge up to £2,500 per day to work on selected traffic-sensitive streets – and up to £350 a day for work on selected footways. A proportion of surplus charges under the Scheme will be put back into highway maintenance work, including repairing potholes and making improvements on Lambeth roads.
The scheme, developed jointly with TfL and Camden, Enfield and Merton councils, will apply to 15.9% of Lambeth’s road network. It is the first of its kind in London and is expected to act as a blueprint for the rest of the city – although Lambeth is the only London Borough whose scheme includes charging for both footways, in the South Bank and Waterloo areas, and roads. This will support the major arts, culture and hospitality sector in the north of the borough, with over three million visitors to the South Bank every month and 70 million annual passengers passing through Waterloo Station.
A bus waits at temporary road work traffic lights on Acre Lane
The council is also working with TfL to make bus journeys through Lambeth quicker, through a Bus Priority Corridor programme, focusing on roads where bus journeys are typically below the average speed targets set out by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. The Mayor’s Bus action plan aims for a network of key bus corridors in central London to deliver reliable average speeds of 10 to 13mph. The Mayor has a target to increase average bus speeds by 10 per cent by 2030 to encourage more people to use public transport.
Lambeth’s bus priority corridors aim to improve bus journey times, for quicker and more reliable journeys, reduce traffic and improve air quality, make streets safer and healthier, and make it easier to access local shops, services and jobs through faster travel.
On 19 January, the council launched initial engagement with local communities in West Norwood (Norwood Road and the A215) and Acre Lane on how bus journey speeds can be improved, with engagement to come on six further priority corridors.
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “We’re serious about tackling congestion and making sustainable travel a safe, quick and reliable option for everyone in Lambeth.
“Roadworks at peak times can cause huge disruption and congestion, our Lane Rental Scheme will tackle this by encouraging companies to carry out works at times that have the least impact on our residents and businesses.
“Buses are an essential service, especially in areas of the borough that other public transport doesn’t reach, and we share the Mayor’s commitment to get buses moving faster across the city.
“Our new priority corridors will create a safer and more welcoming environment – not just for bus passengers, but also for people walking, wheeling and cycling on these vital routes.”
Get involved
Local residents, businesses and organisations are encouraged to get involved with the Bus Priority Programme by participating in the initial engagement launched in West Norwood and Acre Lane.
