When is a “Road Closure” not a road closure?

When it is coned off or traffic lights are used but unless it is a total closure with diversion routes it is not counted as a closure. It is however a massive inconvenience for drivers especially when there has been no notice given and therefore no chance for individuals to change their plans, either by going a different route or by leaving earlier to allow for the delays.

Yet this is what happens thousands of times on Hampshire roads due to Utility companies using emergency powers to dig up roads.

Like thousands of Hampshire residents County Councillor David Simpson is fed up of getting stuck in traffic when cones, traffic lights or a man with a revolving STOP/GO sign suddenly appears with no advance warning.

Any reasonable person looking at the figures would say that if a company has over 20% of its road works as urgent, and therefore requiring no notice period, it cannot be maintaining its system properly.

Yet that is what the companies listed below are doing.

If they had maintained their facilities then roads would still have been dug up but residents would not have suffered a sudden loss of power or some other service, and drivers would have seen the signs warning of the future works.

Instead they close the roads and cause a loss of time and money to hundreds of motorists every day. One can only guess at their reasoning but it is probable that if a system needs maintenance every year but a risk assessment shows it will only need urgent work every 3 years then two lots of maintenance are saved.

They do not care about the person rushing to hospital to be with a loved one or the mother unable to be at the school gates for her child nor the businessman is trying to keep his business going that employs dozens of people. All of those are by default giving an involuntary subsidy to the utility company that does not bother to maintain its network.

It is time to stop this cavalier and arrogant approach to Hampshire residents and call the people who run these businesses to justify their high rate of urgent disruption to our roads. When lives are at risk or there is genuine need everyone understands but patently that is not the case in so many instances.

David has asked the County Council to call the companies to account and find out how they intend to improve their regular maintenance and reduce the number of immediate or urgent works that cause chaos to us all.

11. NOTICE OF MOTION
To consider the following Notice of Motion, submitted in accordance with Standing Order 18.1, proposed by Councillor David Simpson and seconded by Councillor Bruce Tennent:

“This council notes the high proportion of road works which are classified as Emergency or Urgent works by particular Utility companies (see table below) and therefore not subject to the usual advanced warning and programme notification to the County Council. These are disruptive and cost residents and the country a lot of money in lost time and fuel wasted which damages our economy.

Therefore:

Hampshire County Council calls upon those Utility companies who have the highest proportion of roadworks listed as Urgent or Emergency to explain to the Council what steps they are taking to improve their regular maintenance and works planning to reduce the proportion of works classified as emergency or urgent. Furthermore the Council will review the relevant provisions of the New Roads and Streetworks Act and consider whether the Secretary of State should be asked to strengthen any of the Highway Authority powers in this regard.”

Immediate Works Data for 2013 (Main Utility Companies Only – which carry out majority of street works)

Utility Total number of works No of emergency works No of emergency works with a closure No of Urgent works No of Urgent works with a closure Total Number of ‘Immediate’ Works Number of Closures arising from Immediate Works %age of Immediate works %age of works for Immediate Activities that Require a Road Closure
BT Openreach 5675 195 0 2169 11 2364 11 41.7% 0.2%
SGN 2802 1350 5 101 0 1451 5 51.8% 0.2%
Portsmouth Water 3775 3 0 852 1 855 1 22.6% 0.0%
Southern Electric 2805 1 0 1749 1 1750 1 62.4% 0.0%
Southern Water 8961 6 2 1581 16 1587 18 17.7% 0.2%
South East Water 6009 0 0 4084 26 4084 26 68.0% 0.4%
Sembcorp Water 1535 3 0 257 3 260 3 16.9% 0.2%
Thames Water 485 11 0 332 0 343 0 70.7% 0.0%
Virgin Media 4718 28 0 105 0 133 0 2.8% 0.0%

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