The UK Local Government Association has called on the national Government to give more powers to local authorities to charge utility companies for the time they spend digging up busy roads. Today only authorities in London and one county in the South East of England can do so without having to get government approval first.
As populations grow and urbanise, and as water network infrastructure ages, the problem of disruption to road traffic caused by infrastructure maintenance and replacement is going to increase. Politicians know that whilst the provision of water is important, the nuisance caused by traffic jams is deeply unpopular with voters. So the proliferation of penalties for traffic disruption is likely.
The choice for utilities is an operating costs increase or wider deployment of smart network solutions. i2O provides solutions for water utilities that, amongst other things, reduce bursts, extend the life of infrastructure, and keep motorists happy. Contact us to find out how we can help.