Questions about 5G, smart roads strategy and LED street lighting: FOI release

Information requested

 

You requested details relating to the development of a 5G Strategy, a Strategy for Autonomous Vehicles, information relating to the rollout of smart streetlights and roads technology and details regarding the deployment of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in Scotland.

Response

 

We have provided some of the information you have requested; this set out in Annex A.

With regard to Question 1.4, an exemption under section 29(1)(a) of FOISA (formulation or development of government policy) applies to the information requested because it relates to the formulation of the Scottish Government’s policy on 5G.

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. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in high quality policy and decision-making, and in the properly considered implementation and development of policies and decisions. This means that Ministers and officials need to be able to consider all available options and to debate those rigorously, to fully understand their possible implications. Their candour in doing so will be affected by their assessment of whether the discussions on 5G will be disclosed in the near future, when it may undermine or constrain the Government’s view on that policy while it is still under discussion and development.

We have withheld information requested in Question 2 under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information). This constitutes personal data of a third party, i.e. names of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.
In terms of Question 6, we do not hold this information.

 

1. Do you have a 5G and a smart roads and smart signage on Public Highways and Public spaces strategy ?
5G
The Scottish Government does not currently have a 5G Strategy but we are currently developing one. We will write to you to alert you to its publication when that is ready .
Smart Roads/Signage
We published our Transport Scotland Future ITS Strategy in November 2018. A copy of which can be found at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/future-intelligent-transport-systems-strategy/
This applies to motorways and trunk roads in Scotland, but not for all public roads or spaces.

1.1 If yes, I request to see the complete strategy, its ambitions and its objectives in PPTX, Word, PDF or picture format.
We do not currently have a 5G Strategy. Transport Scotland’s Future Intelligent Transport Systems strategy is available online.

1.2 If yes, has the public had the opportunity to read and understand this 5G strategy? Where was this information published?
Transport Scotland published its Future Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy online in November 2018.

1.3 I also request a supplementary document that includes the highest level of detail on all Transport Scotland’s 5G technology smart roads and smart signage on Public Highways and Public spaces strategy that’s planned to be used and currently in use in public spaces, roads and motorways within Scotland.
Rollout of 5G technology will be commercially led. Neither Transport Scotland nor the Scottish Government holds information on 5G plans and trials in Scotland.
We are aware that Cisco is progressing 5G trials on Orkney as part of the UK Government-funded 5G Rural First project. Broadway Partners are trialling Television White Space (TVS) in the Highlands and in parts of Perth and Kinross.
See https://www.5gruralfirst.org/ for further details about the Programme
(a) Companies and entities involved and the names of the company/entity officers.
Jacobs was contracted to support Transport Scotland in preparing the Future ITS Strategy.
There was a Research and Consultation document that provides information on the companies and entities involved in the preparation of the Future ITS Strategy. This can be found at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/future-intelligent-transport-systems-strategy/ .
(b) Specification sheets of all 5G technology.
We do not hold this information.
(c) What technology e.g. units and arrays are not currently 5G, but can be 5G enabled e.g. with current software, future software, hardware upgrades or retrofitting?
We do not hold this information.
(d) What UK, EU and International safety standards is [Council] complying with for the 5G strategy and existing 5G technology.
Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) takes the lead on public health matters associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, or radio waves, used in telecommunications. The Scottish Government would seek alignment with their standards. The Scottish Government does not currently have a 5G Strategy but of course any strategy we publish will ensure that appropriate and relevant standards and legislation is adhered to.
(e) I request proof e.g. a certificate from [Council] that confirms that UK, EU and International safety standards for workers and the public have been meet.
We do not hold such information.

1.4 If no, I request all documentation, memos, emails and communication on companies and entities you’re in talks with regarding the formulation of a 5G strategy.
As noted in the cover letter, an exemption under section 29(1)(a) of FOISA (formulation or development of government policy) applies to the information requested because it relates to the formulation of the Scottish Government’s policy on 5G.

 

2. I request the name/s of the Officer/s in charge of the 5G strategy and roll out including their CV and qualifications in 5G and Smart Cities; and who their subject area expert or consultancy is, their CV and qualifications on 5G and Smart Cities.
As noted within the cover letter, this information is withheld under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information). This constitutes personal data of a third party, i.e. names of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

 

3. Are you in talks with any experts, companies or entities about autonomous vehicles (AV) for public transport and/or private use on Public Highways?
There are no ‘Highways’ in Scotland although this is largely a technical point arising from different terminology utilised regarding the Scottish roads network. However Transport Scotland has been in discussions relating to Motorways and trunk roads in Scotland.
We held a Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Scotland Summit, on 31 November to 1 December 2018 at the Royal Highland Conference Centre in Edinburgh. The web address for this, with speaker details can be found at www.CAVScotland.co.uk .
We are represented in a European funded programme called EU EIP. One of the sub-programmes within the Harmonisation Cluster is Activity 4.2 – Facilitating Automated Driving. Details of the partners, presentations and other material involved in this programme can be found at https://eip.its-platform.eu/activities/sa-42-facilitating-automated-driving#Par . There is a related sub-activity that Transport Scotland is not actively involved in, but may be of interest. This is Activity 4.4 – Cooperative ITS Services Deployment Support. The web pages for this activity can be found at https://eip.its-platform.eu/activities/sa-44-cooperative-its-services-deployment-support.
We are in the early stages of developing a CAV Strategy report for Scotland. Once this has been developed we aim to publish this on the Transport Scotland and/or Scottish Government website and we will alert you to this.
We are also a partner in Project CAV Forth, led by Fusion Processing. The project will convert five full-size Alexander Dennis single decker manually driven buses into autonomous vehicles. These self-driving buses will provide a service capable of carrying up to 42 passengers 14 miles from Ferrytoll Park and Ride across the Forth Road Bridge to Edinburgh Park Train and Tram interchange. Please see the following for further information https://www.gov.uk/government/news/from-science-fiction-to-reality-people-in-london-and-edinburgh-set-to-be-the-first-to-trial-self-driving-vehicle-services

3.1 If yes, I request to see the complete strategy, its ambitions and its objectives in PPTX, Word, PDF or picture format.
See response to Question 3.0.

3.2 I also request a supplementary document that includes all levels of detail on:
(a) Companies and entities involved and the names of the company/entity officers?
Transport Scotland has contracted KPMG to help develop the CAV strategy and they are gathering views from the following companies and entities to inform the strategy. Academy (A9) Transport Systems Catapult Kier Confederation of Public Transport City of Edinburgh Council Dundee City Council IBI Group Universities - Edinburgh - Heriot Watt - Aberdeen - Edinburgh Napier University of West Scotland AESIN Innovation group: - Cubic - Jacobs - Amey Manufacturers & Technology companies: - Traak Systems - Konrad - TomTom - BP - Cognigital - Viaqqio Technology Scotland (inc. MaaS Scotland) CENSIS Urban Foresight & Dundee MILL Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Brodies BEAR Scotland Teletrac Navman INRIX Fusion Processing WSP The Road Haulage Association Clearview Intelligence FirstGroup Allied Vehicles Energy Savings Trust Scottish Law Commission Highland Regional Transport Partnership (HiTrans)
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) Strathclyde University SCOTS / Traffic & Road Safety Group Dynniq Glasgow City Council Skills Development Scotland Scottish Gaming Network Traveline Scotland Alexander Dennis Limited Jaguar Land Rover Gray & Adams Volvo / Terex Machines with Vision Association of British Insurers Scottish National Investment Bank ScotRail National Farmers Union of Scotland Abertay University Perth and Kinross Council IAM Road Smart Scottish National Investment Bank Scottish Government Advanced Manufacturing Group
The partners involved in Project CAV Forth are Fusion Processing (lead), University of West of England, Alexander Dennis, Edinburgh Napier University & ESP Systex and Stagecoach.
(b) Specification sheets of all technology.
We do not hold this information.
(c) What type of communication system will Transport Scotland be utilising to control the vehicles?
We do not hold this information.
(d) What UK, EU and International safety standards does your AV strategy and rollout comply with?
We do not hold this information.
(e) I request proof e.g. a certificate from Transport Scotland that confirms that UK, EU and International safety standards for workers and the public have been met.
We do not hold this information.

3.3 If no, I request all documentation, memos, emails and communication on companies and entities you’re in talks with regarding the formulations of an autonomous public and private vehicle technology strategy.
See response to question 3.0

 

4. Do you have a strategy for smart roads and smart signage on Public Highways and Public spaces?

4.1 If yes, I request to see the complete strategy, its ambitions and its objectives in PPTX, Word, PDF or picture format.
We published our Transport Scotland Future ITS Strategy in November 2018. A copy of which can be found at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/future-intelligent-transport-systems-strategy/
This applies to motorways and trunk roads in Scotland, but not for all public roads or spaces. Local Authorities are responsible for other roads.

4.2 I also request a supplementary document that includes all levels of detail on:
(a) Companies and entities involved and the names of the company/entity officers?
Jacobs was contracted to support Transport Scotland in preparing the Future ITS Strategy.
There was a Research and Consultation document that provides information on the companies and entities involved in the preparation of the Future ITS Strategy. This can be found at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/future-intelligent-transport-systems-strategy/
(b) Specification sheets of all technology.
We do not hold this information.
(c) What technology e.g. units and arrays will not be 5G, but can be 5G enabled e.g. with current software, future software, hardware upgrades or retrofitting ie, LED road lights, junction control systems, traffic signals and smart information boards.
We do not hold this information.
(d) What UK, EU and International safety standards does your 5G strategy and rollout comply with?
SG does not have a 5G Strategy but we will seek to align with the standards set out in the response to question 1.3d.
(e) I request proof e.g. a certificate from Transport Scotland that confirms that UK, EU and International safety standards for workers and the public have been meet.
We do not hold this information.

4.3 If no, I request all documentation, memos, emails and communication on companies and entities you’re in talks with regarding smart roads and smart signage.
Not required given responses above.

 

5. Are you planning to rollout or have rolled out LED street lighting?
Yes we are planning to roll out more conversions to LED upgrades on Trunk Road Network in Scotland.

5.1 If yes, please answer these questions:
(a) What is the CMS and specification of the software and hardware of the LED street light system?
CMS suppliers for Transport Scotland (TS) include PHILIPS, Harvard Engineering and Zodion.
Transport Scotland does not specify specific hardware and/or software apart from asking for compatibility with Highway England’s MORLICS requirements for adaptive and intelligent lighting.
(b) What type of waveform is the LED? e.g. Square wave?
We do not hold this information.
The information may be available in manufacturers’ or suppliers’ datasheets, catalogues or web-site.
(c) Can you control the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) of the streetlight system using the CMS?
We do not hold this information.
The information may be available in manufacturers’ or suppliers’ datasheets, catalogues or web-site.
(d)Can you control the PWM of each streetlight that’s connected to the system?
Each LED luminaire on the trunk road network can be controlled separately via CMS suppliers’ host.
(e) What restrictions do you have in place for the control of the PWM?
We do not hold this information.
However, safeguards and restrictions are provided and managed by the CMS supplier as part of service level agreement between TS Operator and the supplier.
(f) What is the UK, EU and International safety limit (low and high) for the amount of ‘flicker’ (Hz) theHuman Body and eyes can be exposed to and for how long?
We do not hold this information.
(g) I request to see the training manual and safety operation manual for the CMS and the LED streetlight system.
We do not hold this information.
(h) Who is the company who is or has installed the CMS LED streetlight system?
CMS providers for the trunk road network include PHILIPS, Harvard Engineering and Zodion.
Installers of CMS on the trunk road network are Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies (OCs) information on which can be found at https://www.transport.gov.scot/transport-network/roads/the-trunk-road-network/#45651 This includes BEAR Scotland, Amey and Scotland Transerv along with CONNECT (M77 DBFO), Scottish Roads Partnership (M8 DBFO), Highway Management (Scotland) Limited (M80 DBFO), Auto-Link (M6 DBFO) and Aberdeen Roads Limited (Aberdeen Western Periperhal Route – Balmedie-Tipperty).
(i) What company maintains and repairs the CMS and LED streetlight system?
Maintenance and repair works on LED luminaires are carried out by Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies (OCs) and DBFOs as outlined in 5 (h) above.
Maintenance and repair works on CMS are carried out by CMS providers for Transport Scotland’s Operators on the Scottish trunk road network.
CMS providers for the Scottish trunk road network include PHILIPS, Harvard Engineering and Zodion.
(j) What entity and Officer is responsible for the safety standards for the CMS and LED streetlight system?
Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies (OCs) and DBFOs are responsible for safety of assets installed on the trunk road network.
(k) I request proof e.g. a certificate from Transport Scotland that confirms that UK, EU and International safety standards for workers and the public have been met.
We do not hold this information.
(l) What is the amount of Blue Light leakage that’s safe for the public and workers during the LED streetlights operation?
We do not hold this information.
(m) What level of LED streetlight exposure is safe for the public at daytime and night time?
We do not hold this information.
(n) Is there a legal requirement for diffusers to be fitted to LED streetlights?
We are not aware of a legal requirement, however diffusers or shields are installed where appropriate to minimise discomfort glare.
(o) How have you have addressed the amount of Oxidative Stress on Human and Animal cells that’s produced from LED?
We do not hold this information.

5.2 If no, then I request a declaration from Transport Scotland that you will not be installing LED streetlights in the future. If you cannot provide a declaration, I would like the following answered in the future tense:
Transport Scotland is rolling out the installation of LED on trunk roads and motorways.
(a) What is the CMS and specification of the software and hardware of the LED street light system?
(b) What type of waveform is the LED? e.g. Square wave?
(c) Can you control the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) of the streetlight system using the CMS?
(d) Can you control the PWM of each streetlight that’s connected to the system?
(e) What restrictions do you have in place for the control of the PWM?
(f) What is the UK, EU and International safety limit (low and high) for the amount of ‘flicker’ (Hz) the Human Body and eyes can be exposed to and for how long?
(g) I request to see the training manual and safety operation manual for the CMS and the LED
streetlight system.
(h) Who is the company who is or has installed the CMS LED streetlight system?
(i) What company maintains and repairs the CMS and LED streetlight system?
(j) What entity and Officer is responsible for the safety standards for the CMS and LED streetlight
system?
(k) I request proof e.g. a certificate from Transport Scotland that confirms that UK, EU and
safety standards for workers and the public have been met.
(l) What is the amount of Blue Light leakage that’s safe for the public and workers during the LED
streetlights operation?
(m) What level of LED streetlight exposure is safe for the public at daytime and night time?
(n) Is there a legal requirement for diffusers to be fitted to LED streetlights?
(o) How have you have addressed the amount of Oxidative Stress on Human and Animal cells that’s produced from LED?

 

6. Where do you have 3G, 4G and 5G systems in public spaces and public roads and what are the makes and models?
We do not hold this information.

 

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