A major survey has revealed 80% of residents blame road works for frequently disrupting their daily lives.
MP Katie Lam, who represents the largely rural Weald of Kent constituency, carried out the study in March to gauge public opinion on an issue felt across the county.
Nearly 1,500 of her constituents responded and their feedback have been included in a report, published today (July 3) by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.
Conservative Ms Lam, who was elected last year, said: “I hope its findings will both be illuminating in and of themselves, and also give a broader insight into transport experiences in rural England.”
The county’s 5,000 miles of roads are the responsibility of Kent County Council (KCC), now run by Reform UK.
She said her constituency is unusual in the south-east because it has no major population centre, apart from two small towns, and more than 100 villages.
The survey revealed 95% of respondents travel by car, with six out of seven saying the roads are “poor” and cited potholes, road works and diversions as the main reasons for their dissatisfaction.
The findings showed 80% of people said highways or utility companies digging up the roads disrupted journeys “regularly” or “all the time”.
A major bugbear across the county is a lack of advanced warning about road closures.
Ms Lam’s survey states: “But only 2% said they were always warned about this in advance (by road signs, letters through the post or otherwise).
“Two thirds of those people said they were warned only ‘sometimes’ or ‘occasionally’.”
Respondents also mentioned that works were often carried out on roads in the same vicinity simultaneously.
The report states: “The main reasons for street works were understood to be gas and water companies (particularly Southern Water and South East Water) and also new housing developments, both during and after construction; some expressed concerns that underground pipes and cables serving new developments are being poorly installed, increasing the prevalence of subsequent street works.”
Ms Lam said: “It’s shocking how many journeys are ruined every day because of utilities digging up the roads, often without giving proper notice in advance,
“We’ve all experienced it, the endless diversions, road works where no one seems to be working and journeys that should take five minutes taking up to an hour.
“In a rural constituency where the majority of us rely on on the roads to get around, this is a serious issue – people are late for work and school and health appointments missed.
“I hope the Department for Transport implements these recommendations so that we can get our country roads back on track.”
Under the previous Conservative KCC administration, the highways committee chairman Sean Holden set up an inspectorate to tackle disruption from road works.
Cllr Holden had been appalled by huge increase in temporary road closure permits – which are issued by KCC – in just three years.
In 2020-21 there were 6,604 permits issued which soared 10,296 in 2023-24.
It emerged that KCC has little control over how these passes are given out, particularly for emergency closures which are done with little or no notice.
Campaigners have complained fines for overruns or non-compliance of the permits are too small to act as a deterrent.
Cllr Holden hoped his inspectorate, who can arrive unannounced at road works, will ensure permit-holders to adhere to the rules.
The select committee encouraged “lane rental schemes” which allows the highways authority to charge up to £2,500 per day to work on the roads on the “busiest roads at the busiest times”.
The committee’s report, Managing the Impact of Street Works said: “The main aim of lane rental is to provide a financial incentive to encourage utility companies to reduce the duration of the works.
“This could be through more efficient planning, carrying out works outside of peak periods or optimising the number of operatives on site to complete the works as quickly as possible.”
The report said evaluations carried out on schemes, such as those at KCC, “were successful in reducing disruption from works on the busiest roads, since utility companies were aiming to complete work outside of busy hours or collaborate more with other companies”.
It also recommended extending “extending the reinstatement period during which utilities companies are responsible for the quality of road surfaces after completing works”.
The select committee also urged the tightening of emergency permits, requiring utility companies to forward plan and called for the appointment of a Street Works Commissioner in England.
Mike Martin MP, Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, has appointed Cllr Martin Brice, Kent County Councillor for Tunbridge Wells South, to tackle poorly coordinated roadworks in the town.
Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin has named Cllr Martin Brice as the ‘roadworks tsar’ for the town.
Mike Martin MP said: “I’m therefore really pleased to announce Cllr Martin Brice as the new roadworks tsar for Tunbridge Wells to tackle and organise planned roadworks directly with utility companies and do what KCC won’t.”
