Queensferry Crossing, levels of traffic, congestion and operational lanes: EIR release

Information requested

Average levels of traffic using the Queensferry Crossing outwith peak times. 

Average levels of traffic using the Queensferry Crossing at peak times. 

Number of occasions in 2019 where motorists have been caught up in tailbacks approaching the Queensferry crossing. 

The number of weeks/days in 2019 that the Queensferry crossing did not have all lanes open or operational. 

Reasons for congestion on the crossing and its impact on the surrounding roads and areas. 

As congestion will only increase as the surrounding areas are developed further, is there any scope for a review of the current legislation which "only allows access for buses, taxis, motorbikes under 125cc, pedestrians and cyclists to use the Forth Road Bridge"?’

 

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. 

I have numbered our response for ease of reference;  

1) See Annex A.  For the purpose of this Freedom of Information request hourly traffic data has been averaged over a monthly period, split by weekday and weekend periods.  The full 24 hour period has been provided to allow interpretation of “peak times”.  

2) See Annex A.  For the purpose of this Freedom of Information request hourly traffic data has been averaged over a monthly period, split by weekday and weekend periods.  The full 24 hour period has been provided to allow interpretation of “peak times”.   

3) While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not hold the information you have requested.  Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. 

4) All of the information you have requested is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-19-01450/.  Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. 

5) While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not hold the information you have requested.  Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. 

6) The use of the Forth Road Bridge (FRB) as a Public Transport Corridor has been set out in legislation and passed through the Scottish Parliament. Only buses, taxis, motorcycles under 125cc and other authorised vehicles can use the FRB and its associated Public Transport Links.

 

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

foi-19-01384 Annex A - traffic data

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