Responsibility for removal of traffic management equipment: EIR release

Information requested

1. How much is spent by you annually on purchase or procurement of road traffic cones, barriers etc for road works you are carrying out.

2. Process for ensuring you remove and reuse traffic cones, barriers etc from Glasgow roads once relevant works have been completed.

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 shall retain your numbering for ease.

1. You asked "how much is spent by you annually on purchase or procurement of road traffic cones, barriers etc for road works you are carrying out"

This information is being withheld from disclosure under Regulation 10(5)(e) (substantial prejudice to confidentiality of commercial or industrial information) This exception applies because disclosure would, or would be likely to, substantially prejudice the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information. Regulation 10(5)(e) provides that a Scottish public authority may refuse to make environmental information available to the extent that its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provided for by law to protect a legitimate economic interest. In this case, the information requested is considered to be commercially sensitive as it includes financial details of commercially confidential nature. In terms of our maintenance contracts, the cost of traffic management (including cones, barriers and signage etc) is included within all commercially sensitive contract rates and is therefore unable to be disaggregated or derived specifically from these rates.

2. You asked what is the "process for ensuring you remove and reuse traffic cones, barriers etc from Glasgow roads once relevant works have been completed"

Transport Scotland's Operating Company, Amey, ensure they remove all traffic management on the trunks roads and any traffic management including diversion signage used on local authority roads when the works have been completed.

Amey hold a stock of traffic management equipment in their depots to be utilised across the south west trunk road network. Damaged or worn-out equipment is replenishedas and when required at their cost.

About FOI

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