Lighting columns on the Transport Scotland road network information: FOI release

Information requested

Information concerning lighting columns on the Transport Scotland road network.

For ease of response I have repeated your questions below.

Response

Please note that Transport Scotland operate and maintain the trunk road network in Scotland only, any information sought for lighting column infrastructure within local authority or other areas of the United Kingdom will need to be requested separately from the relevant authorities.

1) How many public lighting columns is your organisation responsible for?

Transport Scotland is responsible for 25,486 public lighting columns.

2) In a typical year how many lighting columns does your organisation test for structural integrity? Information on electrical testing is not required.

Transport Scotland maintenance contractors undertake visual inspections on all lighting columns every two years in accordance with the Institute of Lighting Professionals GN22 ATOMS guidance. Approximately half of the total number of lighting columns will be inspected in a typical year using this method, however yearly programmes can change dependant on a number of factors.

Transport Scotland does not routinely use physical methods of structural integrity testing, however typically around 150 columns per year have this type of testing undertaken.

3) What methodology does your organisation use to test structural integrity ? e.g. Ultrasonic Testing (UT), push-pull method etc. If you use more than one method please state all methods used on a regular basis and state which is the most used method.

Transport Scotland maintenance contractors predominantly use visual inspections in accordance with the Institute of Lighting Professionals GN22 ATOMS guidance. Where physical structural integrity tests are undertaken based on age and condition of assets, these are typically of 'Push-Pull' method.

4) In a typical year, how many lighting columns does your organisation replace? Preferably the response should be replacements due condition or end of serviceable life rather than replacement due to accidental damage, however if condition/service life data only is not available, then total number of replacements typically per annum is sufficient.

In a typical year Transport Scotland maintenance contractors replace around 400 lighting columns, however this can change dependant on a number of factors in each year.

About FOI

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