Yorkshire Common Permit Scheme For Road Works & Street Works

1. Yorkshire Common Permit Scheme For Road Works & Street Works

2. Introduction The Yorkshire Common Permit Scheme for Road Works and Street Works is made pursuant to Part 3 of the TMA 2004, Sections 32 - 39 and the Traffic Management Permit Schemes (England) Regulations 2007, Statutory Instrument 2007, No. 3372, made on the 28th November 2007.

3. Introduction to Permit Schemes Permit schemes were introduced by Part 3 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 (TMA) to improve authorities’ abilities to minimise disruption from street and highway works. Permit Schemes provide a new way to manage activities in certain streets in the Public Highway.

4. Introduction to Permit Scheme • In permit streets, instead of informing a Street Authority about their intentions to carry out works in the area, all works promoters will need to obtain a permit for their works. • Permit schemes provide a change to the ‘Notification System’ under the New Roads and Street Works Act, 1991 (NRSWA).

5. Scheme Purpose and Objectives • To enable improved LA coordination and control of works on highway. • To reduce delay and disruption to travelling public. • To save traffic congestion and reduce vehicle operating costs. • To demonstrate parity.

6. Elements in Common with the NRSWA Notice System • Registered Activities / Works; • Categories of Activities / Works (Major, Standard, Minor and Immediate); • Street Gazetteers, including street references, by means of Unique Street Reference Numbers (USRN) and Additional Street Data (ASD); • The distinction between Main roads and Minor roads; • Streets designated as protected, having special engineering difficulty or traffic sensitivity.

7. Key Points of Permits • A permit is only valid for the period of time stated on the permit. • The start and end dates will be in calendar days, even though many aspects of the scheme will operate on working days. • Where a permit allows weekend and Bank Holiday work, then the permit start and end dates will accommodate that. • A late start on site means duration lost. The end date cannot be ‘stretched’ without an approved variation.

8. Streets Covered The scheme will cover all streets which are: • Reinstatement Categories 0, 1 or 2 • Traffic Sensitive Streets • Protected Streets

9. Exclusions from The Scheme(NRSWA Notices only) • Trunk roads and motorways, for which the Highways Agency is the Highway Authority • Private streets • Category 3 or 4 streets that are not Traffic sensitive

10. What Activities Need A Permit? • Registerable activities that involve the breaking up or • resurfacing of any street in Cat. 0, 1 and 2 roads or Traffic • Sensitive, or Protected streets, at any time. • All activities that involve the opening of the carriageway of Cat. 0, 1 or 2 roads, or Traffic Sensitive streets, or cycleways at Traffic Sensitive times.

11. What Activities Need a Permit?(cont’d.) • All activities that require Traffic Control. • All activities that reduce the number of lanes used in a carriageway • of 3 or more lanes. • All activities that require a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order, or Notice, or the suspension of pedestrian crossing facilities.

12. What Activities Need A Permit?(cont’d.) • All activities that require a reduction of width of the existing carriageway of a Traffic Sensitive street at any time. • Pole testing which involves excavation, and any reinstatement following pole testing, whether it involves any of the above criteria or not.

13. What Activities DON’T Need A Permit? Non registerable activities: • Traffic Census surveys. • Pole testing which does not involve excavation. • Road-marking works that are not part of other works, providing the ‘Registered Criteria’ do not apply. • Works on Cat. 3 and 4 streets which are not Traffic Sensitive at any time or in any part.

14. Working Day NRSWA Section 98(2) For the purposes of administration of the Permit Scheme ‘Working Day’ means a day other than a Saturday or Sunday, Christmas Day or Bank Holiday; and for the purpose of this permit scheme, a working day will be treated as 08:00 to 16:30

15. Permit Activity Categories

16. Activity Categories Major Standard Minor Immediate

17. Activity Categories Major Activities: • Those works which have been identified or planned as part of a programme • Works requiring a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (Not a Temporary Traffic Notice). • Works having a duration of 11 working days or more.

18. Activity Categories (cont’d) Standard Activities: • Works other than ‘major’ or ‘immediate’ that have a planned duration of between 4 and 10 working days inclusive.

19. Activity Categories (cont’d) Minor Activities: • Works other than ‘major’ or ‘immediate’ that have a planned duration of 3 working days or less.

20. Activity Categories Immediate Activities: Emergency Works • Required to end or prevent circumstances existing or imminent which can cause damage to people or property. Urgent Activities – (Not being Emergency Works) • To avoid substantial loss to the promoter. • To prevent unplanned interruption to service. • To re-connect supplies or services where the promoter will be under civil or criminal liability if delayed.

21. Permit Applications

22. Requirements for a Permit Any activity promoter who wishes to carry out any activity requiring registration in a permit street must obtain a permit from the Permit Authority. The permit allows the promoter to carry out the specified activity: • At the specified location. • For a specific duration between the start and end dates shown. • Subject to any conditions which are specified, or agreed, by the promoter in the application.

23. Method of Making Permit Applications • Permit applications should be made via EToN • (Where this is not possible, due to system failure, they may be made via alternative methods like fax, email or hand delivery.) • Applications must comply with the technical specification for EToN.

24. Timing of Applications The time period is measured from the time of receipt of the application by the Permit Authority. Major activities: These require a Provisional Advanced Authorisation at least three months in advance of the activity and; a Permit Application at least ten working days before the activity is proposed to start.

25. Provisional Advanced Authorisation Advanced authorisation is to be sought at least 3 months before start of Major activities. • A Provisional Advanced Authorisation (PAA) is an early provisional permit issued before the final details of an activity have been established. A PAA effectively ‘books’ the road space and ensures that others will not obtain a permit for conflicting planned works.

26. Timing of Applications (cont’d.) Standard activities: Permit application required a minimum of ten days before the proposed start date. Minor activities: Permit application required at least three days before the proposed start date. Immediate activities: Permit application required within two hours of the works commencing (for out-of-hours, within 2 hours of the start of the following working day).

27. Timing of Applications(cont’d.)

28. Information Requirements

29. Information Required • Unique Permit Reference Number – System generated • Description of Activity • Location • Timing and Duration • Illustration • Technique to be used for Underground Activities

30. Information Required (Contd.) • Traffic Management and Traffic Regulation Orders • Depth • Reinstatement Type • Inspection Units • Contact Person • Early Starts

31. Permit Conditions

32. Permit Conditions Regulations provide provisions for permit authorities to attach conditions to permits and specify the types of conditions which may be attached. They may also specify certain conditions which apply to works before a permit is obtained i.e. for immediate activities

33. Permit Conditions The range of conditions that can be applied to permits will fall under the following categories: • Timing and duration of activity • Road space • Traffic management provisions • Methodology for carrying out activities • Consultation and publicity • Environmental conditions • Supplementary and local conditions: e.g. provision for vulnerable people special publicity. • Immediate activities.

34. Timing and Duration • Start and end dates (calendar days) • Bank Holidays, weekend, out of hours? • For Traffic Sensitive Streets – include times of day to be carried out

35. Road Space • The amount of space that can be used in the street during works. • In some locations a condition may be required by the Permit Authority to prevent materials and plant being stored on site.

36. Traffic Management Provisions • Promoter must submit Traffic Management proposals - e.g. closure, one-way, temp. signals, width restriction, lane closure, parking restrictions. • Changes during the course of the works to be explained. • May require conditions to notify Authority before change brought in.

37. Methodology of Carrying Out Activities • Seek to use minimum dig technology wherever possible. • Permit Authority may require special provisions – in discussion

38. Consultation and Publicity For all works, it is a requirement that the permit reference number, when issued, must be prominently displayed on the site information board at all times. Where planned activities have the potential to be especially disruptive to local residents, businesses and/or road users, Permit Authorities can request a condition requiring the promoter to provide advanced notice to nearby householders or businesses, or to drivers or pedestrians using the road.

39. Environmental Conditions • Activity promoters must contact relevant HA environmental health teams if proposing planned ‘out of hours’ work. That is, outside of 8am – 6pm, Monday – Friday, and 8am – 1pm on Saturday (section 60: Control of Pollution Act, 1974). • Conditions may be required to protect residents, as well as people working, and schools close to proposed activities. Will be requested asap to enable inclusion in permit application.

40. Environmental Conditions (cont.) • Conditions may be needed where there is a concern about maintaining the site in a clean and tidy condition, including removal of any spillage of materials on the public highway during completion of the works. • Where trees will be affected by activities, promoters must contact the Authority’s Arboriculture Officers.

41. Possible Local Conditions • Updated information boards situated around work site. • Stone cutting equipment to be used with dust suppression measures, i.e. water facility. • Where special materials are identified, works promoter must contact Highway Authority engineers. • New materials to be replaced like-for-like. • Works to be restricted in narrow roads on days of refuse • collection.

42. YCPS Model Conditions

43. Permit Condition Inspections • Permit compliance inspections may be made at the Permit Authority’s own expense. • Breach of conditions is an offence for which an FPN may be given

44. Permit Variations

45. Permit Variations Changing circumstances, for either an activity promoter or for the Permit Authority, may require permits and/or the conditions attached to them to be varied.

46. Permit Variations (incl. extensions of duration) • Prior discussion recommended if potentially contentious. • Application as soon as possible when known that any of the permit conditions may be breached • If 2 days, or more than 20% of duration left – apply via EToN • If less than 2 days, or 20% - telephone, then EToN if agreed

47. Permit Variations (cont’d.) • The Permit Authority must respond within 2 working days. Otherwise, the variation is deemed to be granted • Section 74 charges may still be considered, even if extension granted, if ‘reasonable period’ exceeded • Authority imposed variation – no fee

48. Early Starts • When an early start has been agreed after a permit application, the Promoter shall submit an application for a variation to the permit. • In the case of a Provisional Advance Authorisation, the Promoter will include the revised dates on the permit application.

49. Application and Response Times

50. Revocation • No mechanism, nationally, for formally suspending or postponing • a permit, only for varying or revoking one. • If need for a revocation due to the promoter failing to comply with • the permit conditions, Authority may use provisions to clear the street • If promoter wishes to cancel a permit, MUST use the Cancellation Notice provided via EToN. • No charge for a cancellation Notice.