Roadworks permit scheme coming to Walsall
A roadworks permit scheme is set to be introduced in Walsall to improve traffic delays.
Walsall Council will introduce the scheme to administer work undertaken by utility companies across the borough, which is specifically designed to improve the management and coordination of roadworks on the public highway.
The move is in response to a call from central government. The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to all highway authorities in July asking them to consider adopting the policy.
Officers at Walsall Council had already been working towards implementation of a permit scheme and have undertaken consultation with stakeholders.
The council has also worked with other Black Country authorities to ensure consistency across the region.
A permit will need to be purchased before work is undertaken and conditions will be attached to ensure that disruption and inconvenience are kept to a minimum.
Speaking about the scheme, Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of the Council, said: “I understand the frustration of delays caused by roadworks. None of us like to be kept waiting at temporary traffic lights on their daily commute. The introduction of a permit scheme helps us control work across the borough and will save residents and businesses time and money.”
About 6,500 individual roadworks take place in Walsall in any given year and the permit scheme hopes to reduce that number by at least five per cent, reducing the cost to the economy of traffic congestion.
