Lane Rental Scheme

Charges for roadworks aim to cut peak-time disruption and improve traffic flow in Oxfordshire

Following a process of joint scheme development with industry colleagues, a formal consultation process, internal scrutiny and approval, and a successful application to the Secretary of State, we are now beginning the implementation process to deliver our Lane Rental Scheme.

This initiative is designed to address one of the most significant challenges on our roads: disruptions caused by essential works during peak travel times.

About the scheme

The lane rental scheme introduces daily charges for works that occupy the highway on the county's busiest roads during traffic-sensitive periods.

By applying these charges, the scheme incentivises utility companies, developers, and contractors to plan and complete works more efficiently, reducing inconvenience for residents, businesses, and all road users.

Our key objectives are to:

minimising disruption by encouraging works at less busy times and promoting early completion
promoting sustainable transport and reducing emissions through better traffic flow
improving journey reliability by reducing the number and duration of works during peak periods
encouraging collaboration between organisations to minimise overall impact
environmental gains by improving traffic flow, reducing emissions, and supporting sustainable communities
boosting economic productivity by keeping Oxfordshire moving for businesses and communities.

How it works

The scheme applies daily charges of up to £2,500 for works on designated Lane Rental Streets during traffic-sensitive periods.

It covers all permit-required works by utilities, developers, and the council, with exemptions for activities limited to footways or verges.

Charges apply during peak periods, including weekends and bank holidays, except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Emergency safety repairs are also granted a 48-hour grace period.

What roads will be covered by the Lane Rental Scheme

You can view the streets that are covered by the Lane Rental Scheme by viewing the Lane Rental Schemes map.

A review of streets is required every three years (but can be undertaken annually). One of the key principles of any Lane Rental Scheme is that it applies to traffic-sensitive streets at traffic-sensitive times. For a street to qualify as traffic-sensitive, it must meet at least one of the following criteria:

The street has an estimated traffic flow of more than 500 vehicles per hour per lane of carriageway, excluding bus or cycle lanes.
The street is a single-carriageway two-way road, less than 6.5 metres wide, with a total traffic flow of not less than 600 vehicles per hour.
Traffic flow contains more than 25% heavy commercial vehicles.
The street carries more than eight buses per hour in both directions.
The street is within 100 metres of a critical signalised junction, a gyratory, or a roundabout system.
The street, or part of it, has a pedestrian flow rate of at least 1300 persons per hour per metre width of footway.

Lane Rental implementation

Implementation will be carried out in close consultation with works promoters, including utility and highway contractors, as well as other stakeholders.

Oxfordshire County Council will be contacting relevant parties to invite collaboration on the rollout process.

Lane Rental and Traffic Sensitive Street Consultations

As part of preparing for Lane Rental, we undertook the following consultations for Lane Rental and Traffic Sensitive Streets

Lane Rental Consultation November 2023 – January 2024

Lane Rental Lane Rental Scheme | Let's Talk Oxfordshire – this links to “You said / Next Steps,” and within there is a link to the consultation page that will include the draft consultation version of the documents.

Traffic Sensitive Street Consultation June – July 2024

Traffic Sensitive Street Traffic Sensitive Streets Review Consultation | Let's Talk Oxfordshire, and in response to stakeholder feedback, we responded below:

Following our formal consultation on the proposal to designate certain streets as traffic sensitive, held 27 June to Friday 26 July 2024, please find our response to your feedback.

Thank you to those who provided valuable input regarding the TSS consultation. We have carefully considered your feedback and sought additional guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Consequently, we have decided to remove all geographical-based sites from the TSS for Oxfordshire that do not meet the prescribed criteria.

Further Information

For full details, please refer to the following documents:

Email contact information - lanerental@oxfordshire.gov.uk