Traffic diversion from A8 to Old Greenock Road 2017-22: EIR release

Information requested

The number of times in the last 5 years that traffic has been diverted from the Langbank to/from Port Glasgow section of the A8 onto the Old Greenock Road; specifically, the section between Woodhall Port Glasgow to the B789 junction of Houston Road and Old Greenock Road.

'This is a narrow rural road, linking two rights of way, with blind dips, overgrown trees and hedges without any slow signs. The speed of all traffic diverted or not is dangerous at all times. HGVs including coaches have to use this road at all times to access properties as low bridges restrict HGV traffic from the motorway.'

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.

Response

Between 29 August 2017 and 29 August 2022 the B789 has been utilised 18 times to facilitate closures between A8 Langbank and Port Glasgow.

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