Leeds City Council is seeking approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) for its proposals to set up lane rental schemes on roughly 10% of its road network.
The council plans to introduce these schemes on the city's busiest roads during the busiest times, charging up to £2,500 per day to help reduce the impact of road works if they are undertaken during the busiest times.
It is hoped that by introducing this charge, utility providers and other companies will be encouraged to schedule works outside of peak times to reduce the impact on road users.
Should the scheme be approved by the DfT, the council expects to have it up and running by spring 2026 to coincide with similar schemes planned by Wakefield and Kirklees Councils.
Cllr Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said: ‘The Leeds Lane Rental Scheme (LLRS) will focus on the most critical parts of our highway network, with charges applying at the busiest times. We know for anyone travelling, roadworks are a source of frustration. While we try to coordinate these works as best we can, these added powers mean we can incentivise works to complete quickly and efficiently, to cause less disruption on our network.
‘LLRS will give us more power and options in levying charges to encourage better behaviour from those working on our roads, so that our residents have less disruption as they move around.’
