MANCHESTER has 22,000 notices of intent a year. The city website gives details of 24, major works which officials believe will cause the worst congestion.
A spokesman said: "If we know work is going to cause disruption, we do our best to make sure everyone knows about it in advance with letter drops and meetings for residents and retailers.
"When the Mancunian Way was affected by works, we had a media alert two weeks before and signage in advance.
"And we have an embargo on works on key routes between November 19 and January 3 because business would suffer."
Highways chief Coun Neil Swannick said: "We do have powers and we are starting to use them. We are getting some progress on scheduling of works."
SALFORD has 12,000 notices of intent a year. There are just 29 schemes listed on its website. The council holds meetings with the utilities every quarter to co-ordinate the works and makes sample inspections to make sure the contractors are complying with the code of practice for safety.
Anyone other than a utility company has to seek permission of the city council and the contractor has to meet certain health and safety conditions.
A spokesman said: "Salford Council monitors a percentage of these works by sample inspections. The works and inspections are regulated by codes of practice.
"Every excavation undertaken by a utility has a two year guarantee period during which if anything goes wrong the utility company concerned are obliged to repair it."
STOCKPORT gets on average 12,000 notices of intent in a year. It lists 17 sets of roadworks on its website, though it says there are other more minor works which are not listed. In the town centre, the council will not allow any new work to start between November 13 and January 8 and from November 27 in district centres. A spokesman said: "We always plan around these times, though obviously we would have to allow the utilities to do any emergency work which arises.
"And we do try to plan as many works as possible for the school summer holidays when the traffic is significantly lighter.
WIGAN could not say how many more roadworks were under way than the 21 listed on its web site. It receives 14,000 notices of intent a year. John Rowbotham, information officer for the council's department of engineering services, said: "People are sitting in their car in a jam and when they see the cones blocking the way, they naturally want to blame someone - so they blame us."
Graham Pilkington, an official in the same department, said: "We should know about all the planned jobs but there are emergency jobs going on so the actual number will be many times more than we put on the web site."
"Any requests for extensions to the timescale are investigated on an individual basis."
There is an embargo on all major routes from December 1 until after Christmas if the work encroaches on the carriageway and from December 15 for all other works.
They are banned in the Gigg Lane area on Bury FC match days and in the town centre on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The spokesman added: "This is overridden by emergency or urgent/essential works and where it is impractical to curtail works and we attempt to co-ordinate works to be carried out during school holidays when traffic is lighter at rush hours."
TAMESIDE has about 12,000 notices of intent a year. It lists just 11 main schemes on its web site. A spokesman said: "There are no statutory rules but there are guidelines and we deal with each contractor individually.
"We do not allow new works from December 1 to January 1. If a contractor wants to work in the borough, they tell us how long they want to take and once we are happy we will issue a permit. But if they over run we can impose a charge, though they can apply for an extension." Peter Morton, principal engineer, said: "They have an estimate of the start and finish date.
"There can be unforeseen things but generally, they can make a good estimate.
"If two utilities are planning to dig up the same road, we try to get them to do it at the same time."
ROCHDALE has no list on its website because of temporary difficulties with the site. It has about 9,000 notices of intent a year.
A spokesman said: "We co-ordinate various utilities and contractors to combine programme of works to limit the period of disruption.
"They can be fined if schedule of work overruns.
"We plan traffic management and implement redirections to minimise disruptions.
"We can refuse utilities permission to undertake work if it affects peak traffic periods, such as holiday and Christmas periods.
"We encourage and plan works for low-peak periods and have quarterly meetings between the council, the utilities, contractors, and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to draw up schedules of work.
"And we have site visits with utilities and contractors to ensure work running to schedule."
BOLTON lists 22 major roadworks on its website. A spokesman said: "We have a co-ordinator who tries to ensure that works are carried out during school holidays and at weekends and evenings. We have an embargo on major works after November 1 to the end of January and insist that no work should start after the Christmas lights switch on."
AT TRAFFORD, Bernard Sheridan, head of environmental services, said the council works closely with the utility companies to ensure that disruptions are kept to a minimum.
He said: "We share information so that where possible any works are carried out at the same time while the road is closed.
"Utility companies may enter roads to carry out works prior to the council starting footway and carriageway schemes.
"And from time to time roads are closed in emergency situations such as carriageway collapse or major gas escapes."
"We try to ensure that the highway network has minimum disruption, and that works near schools and colleges are usually carried out during holiday periods where practicable."
This year's Christmas embargo in Trafford is on the A56 and roads around town centres. It began on December 1 and runs until January 6.
OLDHAM had more than 7,400 notices. A spokesman said: "There are powers to stop or postpone roadworks at any time.
"We will inspect all reported potholes to see what needs to be done and how quickly.
"What we are looking at is how severe the pothole is and therefore the risk it poses to road users."
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