A9 and A96 closures due to adverse weather: EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02247
Date received: 5 October 2017
Date responded: 30 October 2017

Information requested

'I was wondering if you could provide any data on road closures on the A9 and on the A96 due to adverse weather in the last 10 years? How many times, how long was it closed etc.?'

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.

As you may be aware, Transport Scotland has contracts in place with Operating Companies who maintain the Trunk Road Network. The Operating Companies who have responsibility for the A9 and the A96 are Bear Scotland North East and Bear Scotland North West. Due to the way in the information is stores, the information requested has been split by location as follows.

1. North East – M9/A9 Keir Roundabout at Dunblane to Inveralmond Roundabout Perth and A96;
2. North West – A9 north of Inveralmond Roundabout Perth

• Item 1- M9/A9 Keir Roundabout at Dunblane to Inveralmond Roundabout Perth and A96

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have the information from 2007 as you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. We do however, have this information from 2009 onwards. This information is supplied in Annex A.

• Item 2 - A9 north of Inveralmond Roundabout Perth

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have the information from 2007 and 2008 as you have requested. Therefore we are refusing your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. We do however, have this information from 2013 onwards. This information is supplied in Annex B.

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FOI-17-02247 - Annex A - M9 A9 Keir Roundabout at Dunblane to Inveralmond Roundabout Perth.pdf

File type

1 page PDF

File size

89.7 kB

FOI-17-02247 - Annex B - A9 north of Inveralmond Roundabout Perth.pdf

File type

7 page PDF

File size

2.6 MB