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Traffic Scotland enables the collection and distribution of real-time traffic information relating to incidents and events currently taking place on the Scottish trunk road network.
Road users on Scotland's trunk roads are provided with information about road conditions with the aim of ensuring that best use is made of the existing Scottish trunk road network and to improve the safety and the efficiency of the network.
By displaying messages on variable message signs, drivers are given advance warning of problems on the Scottish trunk road network. These may include roadworks, accidents, events, bad weather conditions and road closures.
On part of the trunk road network, overhead lane signalling improves road safety by telling drivers of lane closures and speed restrictions. This information can help drivers make the best response - from slowing down and changing lanes, through to selecting the best alternative route. When there are no known traffic incidents, safety messages are displayed. Traffic Scotland has an intergrated web site.
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Traffic Scotland collects information about roadworks, accidents, congestion and weather events and is used to improve the operational efficiency of the Scottish trunk road network. Traffic Scotland provides users with information on current Scottish trunk road traffic conditions that will assist users to make informed decisions as to the timing, routing and travel mode choice regarding current or proposed journeys. This information helps by reducing the disruption caused by incidents, minimising the effects of congestion and thereby improving the safety and efficiency of the road network
Traffic Scotland is operated from the Interim Traffic Control Centre (ICC) in Glasgow by the First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service as part of the traffic information service provided to the Scottish Government. The ICC operates 24-hours a day and is open every day of the year.
Information about current road traffic conditions is either automatically detected by equipment installed on the road network or via CCTV cameras, the Police or the trunk road maintenance companies. Traffic information is entered into Traffic Scotland, which then calculates the response to be displayed on Variable Message Signs and the lane control units located in the overhead gantries. In addition the information can also be distributed using the Traffic Scotland web site and associated WAP and PDA services. The First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service also provides information directly to various radio stations and other organisations that subsequently provide traffic broadcasts.
Traffic Scotland covers the entire Scottish trunk road network.
The Trunk Road Network is the strategic road network of motorways, primary routes and major A-roads that covers Scotland, providing long distance links between Scotland's major cities and towns, the English Trunk Road Network and Ferry Ports (see map below).
More information about trunk roads in Scotland.
For more information on Traffic Scotland visit the About Us page
Traffic Scotland provides real-time Traffic Information including information on incidents, current roadworks, weather and congestion. Information is also provided about future roadworks and events. Additionally, Live-Eye-Views images of traffic conditions on a limited selection of locations can be observed on the web site.
The views of the public are always welcome and will help to ensure that Traffic Scotland is as responsive as possible to the needs of travellers. If you wish to write to the Traffic Controller Unit with comments, or to seek further information our address is:
Transport Scotland 8th Floor (North Wing) Buchanan House 58 Dundas Street Glasgow G4 OHF
Also, please feel free to email us at info@trafficscotland.org.
Yes. You can email us at the following email address info@trafficscotland.org or alternatively contact the Traffic Customer Care Line. The feedback we receive keeps us informed of how you use the Traffic Scotland web site, what you think is useful and what you would like to see, and helps us to determine the best way to deliver our traffic information to you. For further information view the Traffic Scotland feedback page.
Electronic variable message signs (VMS) are signs located at strategic points throughout the Scottish trunk road network that display traffic information/messages to alert drivers to incidents on the network, their likely impacts and appropriate action to take. The messages are updated as appropriate and removed once the traffic disruption has ended.
Safety messages or messages that support national safety campaigns are shown on the signs when real-time traffic information is not being displayed.
In areas where there are no CCTV cameras or traffic monitoring equipment, the Traffic Scotland system relies on feedback from the Police and road maintenance companies. It can take time to establish the cause of an incident and feed it back to the First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service.
This can occur where roadworks are taking place and no CCTV coverage is available and the party responsible for the roadworks has not yet advised the First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service of the delay time or roadworks finishing.
This is due to several reasons; the sign could be switched off for maintenance, the sign is still under construction or due to a technical failure. The actual sign on the roadside will be blank.
Images of cameras located along the Scottish trunk road network, collated with localised maps. When the cameras are being actively used by the First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service and/or the Police to manage incidents the images are not made available in the Traffic Scotland web site.
Live-Eye-View Camera names are based on their location on the trunk road network. Camera names are assigned according to the junction name or road feature at the cameras location. For example, the Kingston Bridge camera focuses on the section of the M8 that crosses the Kingston Bridge and the Straiton camera is located at Straiton Junction. There are however some exceptions to the rule.
The Hilton camera is named after the Hilton hotel as the camera is fixed to the side of the hotel building and cameras in the Highlands and the Borders are commonly named after the nearest settlement to the cameras location.
Cameras are positioned so that they provide the best coverage of the road as possible.
To select a camera firstly zoom into the required area by clicking on the displayed camera icon (), then click on the appropriate camera icon to view the 'live' image for that camera.
Occasionally Live-Eye-View cameras are unavailable due to technical reasons. This may be due to short or long term faults with the cameras or associated camera infrastructure. There are mechanisms in place to alert the First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service to these faults which are passed onto our maintenance contractors. Please be assured that we strive to fix these faults quickly in order to maintain a high level of service for the Live-Eye-Views and all elements of the Traffic Scotland Web Site.
If a camera is taken under manual control by the Police or Traffic Scotland staff then the image is automatically barred from public view and the following image is displayed on the web site:
This is to avoid showing images of accidents or a cars number plate. In some instances a number of cameras may be taken offline.
Remote linking occurs when an unauthorised party is accessing Traffic Scotland Live-Eye-View images. Our filters automatically block this access to the web site. It is possible, however, that you are using a personal firewall which acts like a proxy server and triggers our filters as remote linking. Generally you will have to add Traffic Scotland to the allowed list on your personal firewall which may resolve this issue. Details of how to do this can be found at the following website: http://codex.wordpress.org/Enable_Sending_Referrers
If you have any further questions e-mail us at question@trafficscotland.org.
The data protection act does not allow for the public transmission of camera images that can identify people or their car number plate. Therefore, the camera images are set at an appropriate level of detail.
In the Edinburgh & Glasgow areas the images are updated approximately every 5 minutes. In some instances cameras may be taken off line for maintenance. In these cases only camera images less than 30 minutes old will be displayed. In all other areas the images are updated approximately every 20 minutes.
Where provided, the camera direction (e.g. N, E, S, W) is displayed underneath the camera name in the top left of each image. Also, each camera is displayed with two example images taken at a previous date with the direction that the camera was facing at this point indicated underneath. Web site users are able to compare the current image with these to determine which way the camera is currently pointing.
The Live-Eye-View by Route tool allows users to view camera images along Trunk Road routes. These routes can either be viewed manually or can be "played" automatically using the play controls. When using the play controls the page will automatically move to the next camera on the route every 4 seconds. Routes can be viewed or played in either direction. A route being played can be stopped using the stop button.
Currently, nine categories of traffic information for the road network are displayed on Traffic Information:
Traffic Information displayed on the web site is automatically updated every 3 minutes. By selecting the 'Automatic Refresh' button, the map will update every 3 minutes.
Traffic monitoring equipment required to generate congestion data is only installed on specific sections of the Scottish trunk road network. These are currently limited to roads around Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A special occurrence that may cause significant traffic disruption on the road network e.g. T in the Park, Open Golf, Air Shows.
Future Roadworks are planned roadworks that are due to commence during the next week to month and are likely to cause disruption on the Scottish trunk road network.
Traffic News provides details of additional current incidents, future roadworks and planned events, which may have a significant impact on your journey.
Roadworks will not be displayed on the web site when they are not predicted to cause disruption to traffic nor if the roadworks occur on roads not forming part of the Scottish trunk road network.
The Traffic Scotland web site includes Park and Ride information for a number of sites in Scotland. The information provided on this web site includes location and onward travel details. For further information on Park and Ride sites users are advised to visit the specific web sites of each scheme (included in the List View table for Park and Ride) or visit the TransportDirect.info or Traveline Scotland web sites.
Information for the rest of the UK and Europe can be found by clicking here.
There are four ways to zoom:
Compass arrows are shown around the map to allow panning. Click on the arrow to move the viewfinder in that direction. If you have reached the edge of the map or are fully zoomed out, then the some of the panning controls may be unavailable.
To view incident, road work or other feature type details hover over the icon with the mouse cursor. The details are then displayed within an information box. Clicking directly on the icon displays the details to the top left of the map along with links to more details if they are available.
Traffic Information is displayed on a series of map layers that can be individually switched on and off using the check boxes under Layers.
Areas with high traffic information density require higher resolution mapping in order to aid interpretation.
The Viewfinder map shows the main map location within Scotland, highlighted by a red box. Clicking the Viewfinder map can also navigate the main map to a desired area.
The symbols displayed on the map are described by the following key:
Tabular views of all traffic information are available by selecting the appropriate link under List Views.
As well as viewing traffic information through our standard mapping page, you can also view the traffic information overlaid onto Google Maps. You can swap between the different viewing options using the tabs at the top of the Traffic Info pages.
All of the information on the standard map is present on the Google Map with the exception of congestion levels.
The navigation controls you see on the map are shown below. Navigation controls include:
Journey times represent the time it takes to get from one location to another. Traffic Scotland provides users with the ability to view journey times between selected locations, referred to as Routes.
First select a starting point from the 'From:' drop down list. Then select the 'Show Destinations' button.
A journey time table will then be displayed showing the current journey times between the selected starting point and various destinations.
At present journey times are only provided for particular sections of the Scottish trunk road network, where we have access to journey time monitoring equipment. It is our aim to increase this coverage in the future.
Journey times provide current travel time information for the trunk road network. Using journey-times it is possible for road users to plan their journeys more effectively.
The road network model is constructed from individual sections of road (e.g. junction to junction), each with their own specific journey times for both directions. A journey time represents the current (or recently calculated) time taken to travel along a road section. Route journey times between two locations (major junctions) are calculated by aggregating the journey times for all the road sections between the start and end points of the route.
Colours are used to reflect the current journey time conditions.
Journey times are calculated using a combination of historic and real time data from various data sources. Current data will always be used in preference to historic data. The journey times from the different data sources are fused to give the current journey times for individual sections. Current journey times are also compared with historic (normal) journey times and may cause a journey time alert to be generated.
Journey times from the various data sources are updated frequently, typically every 3 to 5 minutes.
Route journey times represent the current journey time between the specified start and end locations on the road network. A number of predefined routes between major junctions in the Glasgow area have been setup.
Journey time data is assigned a confidence value based on how accurate the system believes the journey time to be. This value is determined by assessing the extent to which the data was reliant on historical values, particularly when no real-time journey time data is available.
To use the journey times list view, select the starting location along the vertical axis then select the destination location on the horizontal axis. The grid square where these two locations meet contains the current journey time from the selected starting location to the destination.
If the grid square contains a dash it means that no journey time for that section is available because the route is not possible on the motorway network due to restricted intersections, or the route has not been defined because the two junctions are very close to each other.
If the grid square contains 'No data' there is insufficient current journey time data to be able to estimate an accurate route journey time between the two locations. The squares representing identical start and end locations (on the top left to bottom right diagonal) are greyed out.
The following example shows that the current journey time from the M8 J19 Anderston to the M8 J28 Glasgow Airport is 8 minutes.
Yes. To view the web site on your PDA simply browse to the Traffic Scotland web site. Your PDA browser should be automatically picked up and the PDA site should be displayed. In some cases you may need to point your PDA to www.trafficscotland.org/pda/.
To view the WAP site using your mobile phone go to www.trafficscotland.org/wap.
Traffic Scotland currently provides weather bulletins.
Information on travel times can be found on the journey times section of the website.The journey times section can be accessed from the page header menu or alternatively by clicking here.
Information on public transport can be found at Traveline Scotland and Transport Direct web sites or alternatively you can ring Traveline Scotland's Call Centre on 0871 200 22 33.
Traffic Scotland have installed a number of traffic information kiosks at service stations across Scotland. These kiosks provide drivers with real-time traffic information for the trunk road network while they are on route. All current kiosk locations can be viewed on the Travel Information Kiosks section of the website. This can be accessed through the page footer menu or by clicking here.
The carbon calculator uses the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) official carbon conversion factors to determine carbon emission values. These carbon conversion factors were developed and revised by AEA Energy & Environment and agreed with the Department for Transport (DfT). The carbon conversion factor is a value modeled on mode of transport that represents engine size and fuel type. Public transport conversion factors also represent vehicle occupancy. The formula for calculating carbon emissions is:
Car = (Distance/vehicle occupants)*carbon conversion factor
Public Transport = Distance*carbon conversion factor
The classification of large, medium and small vehicles is predefined by DEFRA and agreed by the DfT based on engine size (in litres). For further information click here.
The Traffic Scotland carbon calculator should not be deemed an instruction on how to travel but rather as an aid when deciding which mode of transport to use for your journey.
There are two possible options provided for calculating carbon emissions, calculation by route or by specific mileage. To calculate carbon emissions for a particular route select a start and end location from the relevant drop down menus. Ensure that the same location has not been selected for both. To calculate by mileage enter the desired distance in the available text box. Please note that the mileage entered must be no longer than four characters in length. Text box values will also override any specific route that has been selected. The text box must be cleared before emissions for a specific route can be calculated.
Once a calculation method has been selected the mode of transport and associated details must be selected from the lower left menu. The carbon conversion factor used for calculating bus and rail transport accounts for engine size, fuel type and occupancy so these values will not be selectable for these transport modes.
Once all the necessary details have been entered select ‘calculate’ to determine the carbon emissions for your selected route.
The carbon emission results are displayed in a graphical format. The graph represents the carbon emissions as a percentage of the worst case scenario (usually large petrol car with one occupant). The carbon emission value represents the total CO2 emissions for the journey. Carbon emissions for alternative modes of transport are also provided for comparison. The graph is coloured using the energy efficiency ratings recommended by the Vehicle Certification Agency.
When calculating carbon emissions for selected routes we try to provide an accurate comparison between car travel and existing public transport which can result in different distances between road and rail travel in the calculation. If you are interested in comparing transport modes over the same distances then the 'specific mileage' calculation method provides this information. As the occupancy of a car is increased, it's carbon emission value decreases. This is due to the assumption that by increasing the number of occupants in the car you are saving on carbon by preventing those occupants from undertaking their own additional journeys. If you wish to view the actual carbon emissions from your vehicle regardless of occupancy then calculate CO2 emissions for 1 occupant. The carbon conversion factors for public transport are based upon the assumption that public transport operates regardless of whether you travel or not. Car journeys are in most cases an avoidable form of transport that could be made using public transport. These therefore are viewed as journeys that could have been avoided. These assumptions were taken into account by DEFRA
At present DEFRA only provides carbon conversion factors for the fuel types and engine sizes featured. For example, at present there is no carbon conversion factor available for small hybrid fuel engines. As DEFRA research further conversion factors for alternative fuels, engine sizes and modes of transport these shall be added to the carbon calculator. For further information click here
Each possible start and end location was selected to provide comprehensive coverage of urban areas across mainland Scotland. It is hoped that this will provide a diverse range of possible carbon calculations for routes across Scotland, both on the road and rail network. These locations are continuously reviewed as are the distances between them.
While the majority of rail connections between available locations are featured within the carbon calculator some were excluded as they were deemed unrealistic, both as a real world route and for the purposes of carbon comparison. For example, a rail connection exists between Fort William and Inverness, however to travel by rail between these two locations would take roughly seven and a half hours to complete at a distance of 248.2 miles. The distance by road between these points is only 66 miles and as a result rail travel was deemed an unrealistic option, especially considering there is an existing bus route.
The road network between certain locations may be affected by a number of carriageway restrictions and route differences resulting in variations in distance between each direction.
Every effort has been made to ensure the Traffic Scotland web site is usable by the majority of visitors.
A modern web browser like Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer or Opera will give the best browsing experience for the dynamic portions of the site, but the content should be accessible to any browsing device.
To get the full functionality of Traffic Scotland, it is best to have cookies enabled or put Traffic Scotland in your exceptions or allowed sites for cookies. You can normally alter these settings under the options or tools menu in your browser.
No, you do not need a plug-in to view the mapping.
No. You do not need a plug-in to view the cameras.
No. As the accesskey attribute implementation typically uses the same technique (Alt key) as the browser's built-in user interface, access keys have not been used as they may mask out some basic functionality with which users might be familiar. For more information, please see our accessibility page.
Specific pages have been designed for printing ease where appropriate and print version links are proved where applicable.
You may need to refresh your page.
For example, some people may experience live-eye-view images, which are out of date or see the maintenance page after the scheduled completion date and time has been reached.
We have extensive checks to ensure that data is up to date. You may find the problem is that the page you are viewing is a cached page.
A cached page is a temporary copy of the page you have requested from the web server. Your browser can either cache this locally on your computer or it can be cached on your Internet Service Providers server (ISP).
ISP's use caching to reduce network bandwidth and improve performance.
Please refer to your browser help or ISP for assistance in clearing the cache.
Yes. The site map details all the current pages and features on the Traffic Scotland web site.
Yes. All users wishing to link to the Live-Eye-View images are kindly asked to include the Traffic Scotland logo as a link to the Traffic Scotland site (www.trafficscotland.org).
The Scottish Government retains the full copyright of all Live-Eye-View images and the Live-Eye-View brand. Traffic Scotland users may hyperlink directly to the Live-Eye-View images within existing web sites provided that a clear acknowledgement is provided to Traffic Scotland and that in doing so no significant degradation in service is experienced.
All users wishing to link to the Live-Eye-View images are asked to include the Traffic Scotland logo as a link to the Traffic Scotland site (www.trafficscotland.org).
In the event that an acknowledgement is not provided the Scottish Government reserves the right to remove access to the Live-Eye-View images.
In the event that a degradation of the Traffic Scotland service is experienced as a result of a user or web site’s direct use or linking to Live-Eye-View the Scottish Government reserves the right to remove access to the Live-Eye-View images.
Any use of the Live-Eye-Views on private networks or intranets is prohibited unless explicitly authorised by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government reserves the right to remove access to the Live-Eye-View images if a user is thought to be sourcing Live-Eye-View images for this unauthorised purpose.
If you believe that use of the Live-Eye-Views may benefit your internal network, intranet or company then please e-mail us explaining who you are and why and how you would like to use the Live-Eye-View images.
All maps on the Traffic Scotland Web Site are developed from Ordnance Survey (OS) data. These maps are for use only on the Traffic Scotland web site. The following acknowledgement and copyright to the Ordnance Survey is included:
'The Maps on this web site are produced on behalf of the Scottish Government, from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. License Number 100020540.'
'The Maps on this web site are produced on behalf of the Scottish Government, from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of the controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown Copyright.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. License Number 100020540.'
For more information on OS copyright please visit: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/business/copyright/
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for syndicating 'news'. Many websites provide up-to-the-minute news; it can become time-consuming and difficult to go to each website for the latest information. RSS readers provide a way of collating all of the latest information you are interested in, in one place – thereby doing the hard work for you.
The BBC, for example, provides an RSS feed for the latest headlines. Rather than having the user open the BBC website every time they want to check for new headlines the RSS feed will monitor the BBC site for new headlines and then alert the user when one is added.
Websites that provide RSS feeds usually display one of the icons shown below.
A range of different news readers are available with new versions are appearing all the time.
Different news readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to choose one that will work with your computer.
You can find information on the most popular RSS Readers at RSS Agregator (Wikipedia).
Modern browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 and Opera have RSS feed readers built into them. When visiting a page that has an RSS feed attached, the RSS icons will display in the browser's address bar as shown below.
At the present time, we offer three RSS feeds:
If you would like RSS Feeds on any more of the information we have on Traffic Scotland, please contact us with your suggestions.
RSS feeds are available from Traffic Scotland at www.trafficscotland.org/rss. Traffic feeds may be freely used on commercial sites subject to the following conditions:
No guarantee is given as to availability or uptime of the RSS feeds but we use our best endeavours to make the information available at all times.