A9 and A82: Casualty figures and traffic estimates: EIR release
Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
FOI reference: FOI/18/00678
Date received: 5 March 2018
Date responded: 3 April 2018
Information requested
The casualty figures (fatal, serious and slight) and traffic volume estimates for each year from 2000 to the present, for the Dunblane to Inverness section of the A9, currently covered by average speed cameras (I assume the latest year for which you will have figures is 2016 - but when you have the figures for 2017, I would be very grateful if you could let me have these too). Similarly the casualty figures (fatal, serious and slight) and traffic volume estimates for each year from 2000 to the present, for the A82 Glasgow to Inverness. I would be grateful if you could let me know if any proper academic study of the outcome of the A9 scheme is planned and if so, which independent research group will be doing it.
I would also be grateful for the casualty/traffic volume figures the section of the A9 from Broxden to Inveralmond Roundabouts. This too provides, albeit only in the most tentative way, some sort of comparison. For the same end, in my original request, I should also have requested the casualty figures and traffic volume estimates (since 2000) for the A9 from Inverness to Thurso, which will, of course, provide some further, tentative, comparative data.'
Response
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Please refer to Annex A which contains information on the number of casulatlies and their severity for the A9 from (but not including), Keir Roundabout to Raigmore Interchange and also the full route of the A82. Please note that the information provided is based on the current figures available. The following are potential reasons for an accident not appearing on our system:
Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland.
Transport Scotland does not hold information relating to damage only accidents (i.e. not involving an injury).
Transport Scotland only holds accident information for the trunk road network.
The accident information Transport Scotland holds is subject to change. E.g. we receive late returns from Police Scotland, who are responsible for recording details of injury accidents.
Annual Scottish accident figures are published by Transport Scotland on a yearly basis and can be found by entering Reported Road Casualties Scotland into your search engine.
In relation to traffic volume figures for the A82 and the A9, this information can be found in the Scottish Transport Statistics which gives traffic volumes at various locations and is published annually. The document can be found at the following link;
In response to your query regarding the academic study of the outcome of the A9 scheme and which independent research group will be doing it, I can confirm that since the A9 average speed cameras were installed Transport Scotland have been monitroring their effect and have recently produced their findings. This information is available at the following link;
http://a9road.info/a9-safety-group/
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