Medway Conservatives were delighted that the Minister for Roads and Local Transport Guy Opperman MP visited Medway.
The Plan for Drivers will introduce increased fines of up to £10,000 for gas, water, and utility companies whose works overrun into the weekends or bank holidays, often increasing congestion at busy times. The proposed increased fines are expected to generate up to £100 million over the next 10 years, which will be invested back into improving the local road network.
Speaking on the issue Kelly Tolhurst MP said
“I was pleased to welcome the Guy Opperman MP, the Minister for Roads and Local Transport to Rochester and Strood today following the Government’s announcement. I was able to show him some of the ongoing street works and discuss the Government’s plans to crack down on the unacceptable delays caused by utility companies completing roadworks.”
Guy Opperman MP said
“What we’re proposing, is to make sure that there is no weekend overrunning and when there is weekend overrunning we’ll fine them [the utility companies] £10,000, we’ll make sure there is less congestion, less street works, bigger fines and we’re doubling the fines if they don’t have a permit.”
Medway Conservatives welcome the Plan for Drivers, there are many residents in Medway who have experienced significant disruption due to overrunning street works, with some experiencing delays of up to 2 hours. This disruption to residents is unacceptable and we know that this will have a positive impact on the area.
More information on the Government's Plan for Drivers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-crack-down-on-disruptive-street-works-to-cut-congestion-and-improve-roads.
