Average speed data for A9 trunk road between Perth and Inverness: EIR release

Information requested

"What the speed/accident rate is south of Dalwhinnie. Is it the same or different from the Northern stretch, and if so why?"

On 4 September you clarified "What is the relationship of accidents between Dalwhinnie and Inverness, and Dalwhinnie and Perth, say over the past two years or so, when there have been a large number of accidents on the Aviemore – Inverness stretch. If there is a major difference, why is this as a large part of the A9 between Perth and Dalwhinnie is single carriageway and not duelled. If there is a difference in accident rates, how can this be evaluated?"

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.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the Scottish Government Publications Page and can be found by using the following link Scottish National Accident Rate: 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. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

An exception under regulation 10(4)(d) of the EIRs (unfinished or incomplete information) applies to the information you have requested. Accident rates are calculated as part of our annual road safety assessment process and are based on a 3 year period. As such the accident rates for the period 2021 onwards will not be calculated until 2024.

This exception 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 exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. We recognise that there is some public interest in release as part of open, transparent and accountable government. However, this is outweighed by the public interest in ensuring that unfinished or incomplete information which is still in being worked on is not disclosed when it might misinform the public.

We expect that the information you have requested will be calculated by autumn 2024 so you may wish to make a fresh request for it at that time.

In regards to the questions in your clarification of 4 September, the accident rate calculation takes into account the number of recorded injury accident on each section of the A9, the length of each section and the typical traffic volume. This means that variations between busier/quieter sections and longer/shorter sections do not skew the results and allows for a consistent comparison between sections. Across the A9 between Perth (Inveralmond Roundabout) and Inverness (Longman Roundabout), there is variation in the accident rates between the 26 sections. This screening process, together with a detailed understanding of collision trends around the network, results in a prioritised programme of sites that will be investigated further. This evidence led approach ensures that resources can be targeted at locations where the greatest potential for casualty reduction is available.

Please see Annex A to this response for the average speed data covering the A9 trunk road between Perth and Inverness for the period 1 January 2021 - 31 August 2023. Whilst average speed data has been provided for North and South of Dalwhinnie only, should you require this information further disaggregated (eg by vehicle type and/or by specific locations), then please let us know.

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 202300374052 - Information Released - Annex A

File type

1 page PDF

File size

88.7 kB