Is there a Code of Practice on Road Closures?

[TheManOnThe172]

I have been battling with my county council, who issued a Road Closure notice covering 74 consecutive days to cover resurfacing that turns out to involve just seven days of activity. It appears that the plan was to announce specific dates a few days ahead, by signs on the road.

A safety margin of more than ten to one must be great for those planning the works. But it is horrible for road users - and particularly bus users. Is there any Code of Practice that outlaws such lazy scheduling?

In the least-impacted cases, bus passengers face the possibility of delays for every one of the days covered by the blanket closure period. In worse cases (as in my village), the operator declines to turn vehicles, so while the road is closed, the bus won't run. So bus users couldn't count on a service for any one of those 74 days.

In the event, either my threat of an Ombudsman complaint or the intervention of our County Councillor got Highways to see sense, and we now have the seven days specified. But the "one.network" map still shows the road closed for the whole of the 74 days, which may impact businesses in the village that normally benefit from passing traffic - those consulting the map will find a different route even on days when the road is in fact open.

I may have got a sensible outcome this time, but I have no confidence that I have achieved a culture change within the Highways team - I am pretty sure that the next closure will be similarly extravagant. Is there any code or similar guidance that I could use to show that the council is behaving badly?

 

[WibbleWobble]

The biggest factor is weather. Resurfacing shouldn't be done when the road is wet as that can cause problems later - water gets trapped in-between layers which when frozen (and expands) causes the top layer to bulge and crack; voila, you've just got potholes!

The other thing is that contractors carry out jobs back-to-back. Round my way, there was a recent resurfacing programme involving around two dozen separate roads, all done consecutively. If they encounter problems causing a delay (usually the above but other problems can and do happen), then other projects are this delayed - so the extra days allow them to do the work a few days later or leave it until after the other roads are done.

 

[Statto]

74 days is ridiculous, when its only 7 days of acutal activity, how much is that going to cost & the disruption thats caused by it, the Councils are imbeciles.

That reminds me of the time of The News segment on Top Gear were Clarkson, mentioning ongoing roadworks at one of the roundabouts on the Oxford Ring Road, that was to reduce the roundabout by one lane & was taking 2 years to complete, the company responsable for the works ran out of money & asked the Council for more money, & the Council gave them the money, but it that it took 2 years, when it could have been done in a few days or weeks.

 

[WibbleWobble]

A long duration is normal. A lot of traffic orders I deal with are for 6 months or as much as 18 months (depending on the authority), although they tend to say the actual duration will be much shorter. Like I say, it covers their backs of in the event of an unforeseen circumstance (like a void is discovered beneath the road or a contractor goes bust mid-job).

18 months is the maximum duration a temporary traffic order can usually run for.

 

[318266]

Surely there has to be a better alternative to shutting a road for a year (such as a particular case in Johnstone, Renfrewshire) - what would happen if the council refused and told them to do it over a shorter time?

 

[Ken X]

A long duration is normal. A lot of traffic orders I deal with are for 6 months or as much as 18 months (depending on the authority), although they tend to say the actual duration will be much shorter. Like I say, it covers their backs of in the event of an unforeseen circumstance (like a void is discovered beneath the road or a contractor goes bust mid-job).

18 months is the maximum duration a temporary traffic order can usually run for.

This is how West Sussex works. A Traffic Order is usually six months with an expected duration of say two weeks. The actual closure is generally just the two weeks and occasionally a bit less if the job goes well. Announced in the local press and, presumably, on websites. Seems to work OK.

 

[izvor]

Well done TMOT172 for challenging this absurd practice, which in my experience (as a frequent bus traveller) is now widespread. Several times recently I have been left almost stranded, or delayed, by diverted bus services when the road is clearly open. Usually it's a case of "the signs are still up, so the buses still have to stay on diversion, while everyone else knows it's open". Checking the operator website beforehand is not reliable. I feel sorry for villages affected, frequently, by withdrawal of their bus service without replacement, and often without notice; and for the bus operators, who must lose a lot of revenue, sometimes for good as affected regulars find alternative transport and just stick with it. Another nail in the coffin of rural bus services.

 

[John HG1]

Sometimes a closure works to someone's advantage. A recent major closure in Harrogate needing lengthy diversions led to a reduction in our local service from ever 20 to 30 minutes. However, the routes on diversion went near us and observed all stops so we had 8 buses per hour and direct access to new destinations. We were sorry when the roadworks were completed early!

 

[Harpo]

The rail industry’s incredible agility in re-engineering the railway at quieter times in between periods of full normal operation ought to be put on a pedestal in comparison to the roads.

 

[kernowbususer]

A government Select Committee is currently looking into the issue of Streetworks and is considering evidence from bus operators, local authorities and industry bodies.

Overbooking permit duration, periods on inactivity on works sites, co-ordination and ‘emergency’ works are some of the biggest issues faced by the bus industry.