Cost of repairing road signs, lamp posts,and GATSO-speed cameras:EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02079
Date received: 14 September 2017
Date responded: 12 October 2017

Information requested

The following information:

a) How much has been spent repairing road signs along the trunk road network, per year, for the years 2011-2017?

b) How much has been spent replacing worn out road surfaces on the trunk road network, per year, for the years 2011-2017?

c) How much has been spent replacing lampposts on the trunk road network, per year, for the years 2011-2017?

d) How much has been spent replacing GATSO speed cameras with newer cameras on the trunk road network, per year, for the years 2011-2017?

e) How much has been spent installing Variable Message Signs on the trunk road network, per year, for the years 2011-2017?

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.

The following spend figures are from 2011 to the date of your request.

a. Spend on repairing road signs along the trunk road network.

Financial Year	Total
2011/12	£8,944,631
2012/13	£9,518,373
2013/14	£3,860,177
2014/15	£3,397,152
2015/16	£4,565,741
2016/17	£7,388,035
2017/18	£1,231,743
Total	£38,905,852

b. Spend on replacing worn out road surfaces on the trunk road network.

Financial Year	Total
2011/12	£46,025,327
2012/13	£59,055,125
2013/14	£60,246,429
2014/15	£53,404,346
2015/16	£66,652,624
2016/17	£86,642,362
2017/18	£34,814,947
Total	£406,841,160

c. Spend on replacing lampposts on the trunk road network.

Financial Year	Total
2011/12	£1,819,007
2012/13	£1,502,380
2013/14	£1,021,801
2014/15	£1,349,301
2015/16	£1,442,011
2016/17	£1,424,347
2017/18	£240,825
Total	£8,799,672

d. Spent replacing GATSO speed cameras with newer cameras.

Financial Year	Total
2011/12	0
2012/13	£2,400,898.75
2013/14	0
2014/15	0
2015/16	0
2016/17	0
2017/18	£1,557,633
Total	£3,958,531.75

e. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. The reason why that exception applies is that Transport Scotland has not incurred any direct installation costs for Variable Message Signs. Transport Scotland has purchased a number of Variable Message Signs and issued these to scheme contractors for installation and commission as part of their contractual requirements. The installation expenditure is incurred by the contractor in the course of their duties and is not recorded in an individual budget line that allows us to provide you with the information that you requested.

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