Various questions surrounding LED lighting in Scotland: EIR release

Information requested

You asked: 

"1. I would like to know how many LED street lights have failed since January 2019

2. I would like to know how many complaints Transport Scotland has received about LED street lights since January 2019.

3. I would like to know what the complaints said.

4. Iwould like to know how many sodium street lights have been installed since January 2019.

5.  I have noticed that when LED street lights are installed some sodium don't get changed to LED.Why does this happen?

6. A few weeks ago on Harbour Road Roundabout, Inverness (A82). Two street lights got replaced one got replaced with a LED street light and one got replaced with High Pressure Sodium street light. Why did this happen?”

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 kept your numbering for ease of reference:

1. The total number of LED lights which have failed on the Trunk Road network in Scotland since January 2019 is 71. 

2. The total number of complaints we have received about LED lights since January 2019 from correspondents other than yourself is zero. Our Operating Companies and contractors have received and replied directly to 10 complaints about LED lights since January 2019.

3. The table below shows the reasons for the complaints.

Number of complaints	Reason for complaint
2	Multiple street lights out and need replaced with sodium street lights as LED street lights are unreliable.
3	light trespass
1	positioning of CMS segment controller
1	requested that the lights were dimmed due to glare
3	day burning units

4. No sodium street lights have been installed since January 2019.

5. LED street lights are installed under a programme of replacements. Street lights not replaced at the same time may be part of another replacement scheme or require a different traffic management arrangement. 

6. One sodium street light was taken down, repaired and put back up. The other could not be repaired and had to be replaced with a new LED fitting.

Should you wish to meet with us and a representative from our Operating Company BEAR Scotland to discuss your issues with these lights we would be happy to do so.  Please contact David Devine, Area Manager, on 0141 272 7357 or by e-mail at David.devine@transport.gov.scot to arrange a suitable date, time and location.

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.