Lane Rental: What is a Lane Rental Scheme, and how can local authorities prepare?

Lane Rental Schemes are set to change road and street works management across the UK by promoting smarter planning and reducing traffic disruptions. Following insights shared during our ‘Preparing for Lane Rental’ webinar, this article delves into the principles behind Lane Rental, highlights the successful implementation by West Sussex County Council (WSCC), explores the pivotal role of digital tools in managing these schemes, and showcases innovative ways to repurpose Lane Rental budgets for further advancements. 

What is Lane Rental?

Lane Rental is a Department for Transport (DfT)-regulated scheme that enables highway authorities to charge works promoters a daily fee for occupying the busiest roads during peak hours. By incentivising faster project completions and off-peak work schedules, Lane Rental aims to minimise road disruptions and improve journey reliability for road users. 

Goals of Lane Rental

• Reduce the duration of roadworks on critical routes.
• Encourage collaboration among works promoters.
• Promote off-peak or non-peak hour work to lessen traffic congestion.
• Generate surplus funds to invest in transport network improvements.

The West Sussex Lane Rental Success Story

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is at the forefront of Lane Rental implementation, demonstrating how schemes can deliver significant operational and societal benefits. 

Scheme Overview

Launch Date: December 1, 2022.

Scope: Applies to 7% of WSCC roads, focusing on A-roads and high-traffic B-roads.

Daily Charges: Ranges from £1,500 to £2,500, based on road type and occupation level. 

Key Achievements

• Saved an estimated 8.4 years of highway occupation and £53 million in societal costs.
• Enabled more collaborative works, reducing overall project costs for promoters.
• Encouraged 92% of works to be forward planned, avoiding penalties. 

Challenges Addressed

By promoting early planning and optimising traffic management, WSCC has fostered stronger relationships between authorities and works promoters, improving overall network efficiency. 

How Digital Tools Empower Lane Rental Schemes

Digital platforms like Causeway one.network are enabling local authorities to streamline the planning and management of Lane Rental Schemes.

1. Analyse traffic flow to identify traffic sensitive streets: Causeway one.network’s Traffic Replay and Route Monitor solutions provide live and historical traffic flow data along key routes, to help local authorities identify and report on traffic-sensitive streets during Lane Rental Scheme design.

2. Visualise Lane Rental Schemes on the Causeway one.network map: Local authorities can submit Lane Rental Scheme data to Causeway one.network, enabling internal teams and external stakeholders (e.g. works promoters) to use the Works Planning tool to pinpoint where projects intersect with Lane Rental streets—facilitating utility collaboration and reducing network disruption.

3. Monitor traffic flow on Lane Rental Streets: With Network Monitor, teams can proactively monitor Lane Rental Streets for disruption and implement mitigation strategies to reduce congestion and improve journey times. 

Innovative Uses for Lane Rental Funds 

Lane Rental budgets are governed by strict rules that mandate local authorities to reinvest surplus funds into predefined categories, such as innovative technologies, research, network enhancements, and projects that improve road safety or reduce traffic congestion, ensuring maximum benefit to the transport network. 

Examples of this might include augmented reality for traffic management, drone inspections for roadworks and AI driven traffic signal optimisation. 

However, some local authorities are exploring ways to repurpose Lane Rental funds to drive innovation and enhance collaboration between highway authorities and utilities—one of the core goals of the Lane Rental Scheme.

For instance, inspired by the success of the collaboration project between WSCC and South East Water(SEW), the West Sussex County Council Lane Rental Governance Group is evaluating the use of Lane Rental funds to broaden access to Causeway one.network’s Plan Share solution for works promoters.

Expanding this tool’s reach could transform Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) management across the county, enabling more streamlined and efficient processes. For SEW and WSCC, it has already unlocked impressive outcomes, including:

• 74% reduction in TTRO approval time for SEW
• 50% faster TTRO review process for WSCC
• Eliminated costs of subcontracting for CAD plans for SEW
• Saving 6 days annually for WSCC.
• Less than 7 minutes to plan and submit a TTRO for SEW. 

Lane Rental Schemes, as demonstrated by WSCC, are a powerful tool for reducing network disruption and increasing collaboration. With the integration of digital platforms like Causeway one.network and the strategic repurposing of Lane Rental funds, local authorities can drive innovation, minimise congestion, and create more efficient transport networks. By focusing on collaboration and technology, Lane Rental Schemes can pave the way for a smoother and more sustainable future on UK roads. 

If you'd like to hear more about Lane Rental, the WSCC implementation and Causeway's Lane Rental solutions, watch the webinar on-demand here. Or, feel free to get in touch.