Transport for London (TfL) has announced a lane‑rental scheme that will operate in Camden and Merton under which utility companies working on the busiest routes during peak periods could face charges, and Kingston is set to join the scheme in Autumn.

The measure is described as part of TfL's London on the Move strategy, and TfL has said it is intended to encourage more efficient street works, reduce congestion and fund innovations on the road network.

The announcement sets out a lane‑rental approach in which charges could be applied to utility companies carrying out works on the busiest routes during peak periods.

TfL has said the purpose of such charges is to encourage more efficient scheduling and coordination of street works, to help reduce congestion on key routes and to create resources for road‑network innovations.

The description given links the lane‑rental element to a wider strategy for managing movement across the city.

The strategy includes measures TfL presents as aimed at managing demand and supporting investment in transport and roads.

The authorities have framed the lane‑rental measure as one tool within that broader policy context.

Officials have described the scheme in terms of targeting activity that takes place on the busiest routes during peak periods, and of applying charges to utility firms undertaking such work.

The announcement states the charges are intended to change incentives around when and how work is scheduled and carried out, with the stated aims of improving efficiency and generating funding for further interventions on the network.

The London boroughs named in the announcement for initial inclusion are Camden and Merton.

However, TfL has set out that Barnet, Hammersmith & Fulham, Havering, Kingston upon Thames, Redbridge, Southwark, Sutton and Tower Hamlets are expected to join the scheme in autumn.

TfL says that coverage from those boroughs would extend to roughly one‑third of London.

The announcement presents this as a broader geographic application of the lane-rental scheme.

The measure as described focuses on utility companies working on busy routes during peak times and on the potential for charges to influence how such street works are planned.

Readers seeking further detail can consult the full information page.

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