A75 traffic controls within Springholm: EIR release

Information requested

1. Details of the time delays now operating at the Springholm A75 eastbound and westbound entering and exiting channel signals between initial detection of a speeding approaching vehicle and the commencement of presentation of the amber signal preceding red. If this delay varies according to signal approach location, time of day, traffic volumes etc., please give the respective periods and reasons for the variation.

2. Please confirm that the inductive loops installed in the carriageway surface at Faulds Cottage serve as the sole triggering provision for presenting red halt signals to speeding drivers in the eastbound channel at the frontage of our property Springholm House and its associated paddock and also still
transmit speed data from both channels there to ATC SH4.

3. When were these VAS calibrations last checked for conformity of reaction to speeding at each village?

4. Why are these VAS units set to different values at Crocketford with the Springholm units set to ignore all speeding below 33mph.

5. We wish to know the present trigger speed values of all Crocketford and Springholm A75 VAS units.

6. We also request disclosure of any written communication which refers, suggest or requests a reduction in red trigger activation frequency here as a prerequisite to obtaining any such approval. Have you received any such communication.

7. Which residential trunk road streets in Scotland are currently designated as 20mph limits either on a trial or permanent basis?

8. What records have you inherited of these stalled Springholm/Crocketford bypass plans?

9. "A75 Speed Management Measures Residents' Survey - Was this report ever shared with Police Scotland? If so, when and at what level within Police Scotland was the report shared? What, if any, was the Police Scotland formal response to Transport Scotland in respect of the villagers' reported demand for speed enforcement?

10. Traffic speed data from each of the four traffic count/classifiers (ATCs) along the village A75 between 1 June 2021 and the latest available date for which data is available, giving at each channel location data in a format which will permit the dates, times, locations and directions it was gathered at to be determined and specifying the commencing and ending time of each data set.

11. Data from fixed equipment along the village A75 between 1 June 2021 and the latest available date from which Transport Scotland and/or its contractors determine both the number of red stop signal triggers and the respective numbers of drivers in compliance/non-compliance with stop signals presented to the traffic flow by the reverse speed discrimination traffic signals. Please present the data in a format which will permit the dates, times, locations and directions it was gathered at to be determined and specify the commencing and ending time of each data set.

12. Are we still so categorised? If not when was this invidious UAP status ended? We have heard nothing since our attempts to have this lifted were thwarted. If still current, is it still indefinite with no pending review in prospect?

13. At this time how many correspondents remain restricted under the application of UAP? Of these how many are road safety related?

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.

1. The information you have requested is available from FOI 19/00176, Questions in respect of the traffic controls A75 Springholm: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). 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.

The leaving amber is set at UK standard 3 seconds and this have not changed since the last time you asked, this time does not vary during the time of day or pending traffic volumes.

2. The loops are the sole detector and trigger system for the signals.

3. Inspections were carried out in Crocketford and Springholm on 14 December 2020. Follow up repair work was carried out on the Crocketford signs on 8 April where all sign functionalities were again inspected.

4. The VAS units at Crocketford and Springholm settings are the same.

5. As you are aware from previous correspondence, trigger speeds have not changed since 2017. In addition, I would refer you to paragraph 23 of the Scottish Information Commissioners decision 102/2019 in respect of case FOI/18/02472. Under section 14(1) of the Freedom of information
(Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), Scottish public authorities do not have to comply with requests that are vexatious. We are refusing this question of your request under this section as there is no additional information that can be provided because all relevant information has already been disclosed and because this question has already been thoroughly addressed through correspondence and other FOISA requests.

6. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. This is because Transport Scotland has not received any such communication.

7. Please see below list of Trunk Roads which have 20mph speed limits, either temporary or permanent. Those not listed as permanent are temporary.

• A68 Lauder
• A68 Earlston
• A68 St Boswells
• A68 Jedburgh
• A7 Selkirk
• A7 Hawick
• A77 Maybole (permanent)
• A702 Biggar (permanent)
• A702 West Linton
• A702 Carlops
• A84 Callander
• A85 Comrie
• A85 Crieff
• A9 Thurso

8. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. This is because Transport Scotland do not hold any plans for a bypass at Springholm/Crocketford.

9. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. This is because the report was not shared with Police Scotland.

10. Please see Annexes A – H to this response. Annexes A - D show the mean speed data and E - H show the 85th percentile speed data. There is some speed data missing from the information provided for certain dates. This is as a consequence of technical faults which have since been resolved. It should also be noted that the raw data may contain columns with zero values or some unrealistic figures which can affect the total average columns. This raw data is analysed and verified before use to ensure accuracy.

11. Please see Annex I to this request. Please note whilst this data provides the number of activations, it cannot be used to detect drivers in compliance with the red lights.

12. You are still on the restricted contact list under our Unacceptable Actions Policy. This will be reviewed in November.

13. There are 3 correspondents on the restricted contact list under our Unacceptable Actions Policy with 1 related to road safety.

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.

FOI202100242248 - Annex A - I

File type

201 page PDF

File size

824.6 kB