City bid to blitz roadwork gridlock

Under the proposed Permit Scheme for Works on the Highway, penalties would be levied against firms for incidents such as water repairs which over-ran into yesterday morning's rush-hour on Chesterfield Road, Heeley - causing jams of up to two miles.

Companies would also be punished for starting work early or without permission.

The council will be able to ensure that on roads where several utilities need to carry out work, projects are done together, rather than separately.

It will also be able to make sure gas, electricity and water companies complete planned work beforehand on routes earmarked for resurfacing. John Bann, Sheffield Council's head of transport and highways, said: "At the moment, companies just tell us they are doing work.

"In the future, they would have to book a time to do it."

Pete Vickers, principal highways engineer, added: "Where there are planned works, we would have the time to see if there is any opportunity to shorten the space and time when the road is disrupted.

"We had a situation on Prince of Wales Road last year, where Yorkshire Water wanted to do work and a major traffic management scheme had to be put in place - then National Grid gas came soon afterwards and wanted to do the same thing again.

"Any tools we can get to stop that kind of thing happening has got to be a step forward."

Emergency work would still be permitted but companies would not be allowed to disrupt traffic at peak times.

Work on Chesterfield Road yesterday, being carried out to reconnect a house to the water supply and required temporary traffic lights, should have been suspended during the rush hour and a metal plate put over the hole.

Mr Bann said: "We would be able to issue fixed penalty notices for a thing like that."

The council now has to take offending contractors to court, but the permit scheme would allow it to issue fixed penalty notices.

Sheffield Council's cabinet will be asked to approve the application to the Government at a meeting next week.

Check out the latest on the roads with Sheffield's traffic cameras.

Click here to return to main news index.

Got a view? Add your comment below.