Details Safety Inspections A85, 2 years to 28/4/18: FOI release

In relation to the A85 between Connel and Bridge of Awe, specifically in the area around Taynuilt:

A. Dates of safety inspections undertaken in this area in the two years prior to Saturday 28/4/18.

B. Details of carriageway defects identified during safety inspections in the two years prior to Saturday 28/4/18.

C. Details of how carriageway inspections are carried out; ie, are they undertaken on foot or in a vehicle and if the latter, the speed of the vehicle during the inspection and the number of persons involved.

D. The intended frequency of carriageway safety inspections.

E. Details of all complaints and enquiries relating to the area described in the two years prior to Saturday 28/4/18.

F. Your hierarchy classification.

G. The road and section number.

H. The defect intervention criteria adopted in relation to the identification of all categories of potholes - in other words; how does Transport Scotland define a pothole as requiring attention?

I. The time periods adopted between identification and repair ( temporary or permanent) of all categories of carriageway defects.

J. Whether or not Transport Scotland have formally adopted all or part of the standards contained within the National Code of Practice for highways maintenance management."

As the information 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.