A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Feasibility Report Document reference: 1209.035/001/0 Revision: 0 Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 Executive Summary A recent letter from Alan Reid MP has highlighted an issue regarding closures of the A83 at, or near, the Rest and Be Thankful. There are no signs to warn local road users travelling from either Lochgoilhead or Strachur areas when the A83 Rest & Be Thankful is closed. It has been suggested that signs could be positioned outside the villages to warn drivers of closures and save them a wasted journey, since their preferred alternative route to Glasgow would be to travel south to Dunoon and use Western Ferries. This study was initiated to investigate the feasibility of, and options available for, providing signing on the routes out of the villages and the benefits they could provide in comparison to other means of informing road users i.e. Traffic Scotland website / radio, Customer Care Line, Twitter etc. It was identified that there are numerous useful and reliable sources of traffic and route information available which are being used regularly by some road users. The majority of this information, however, remains available only to those who firstly, are aware of its existence and secondly, have the means and knowledge of how to access it. There remains a number of the population who may not regularly use the more modern means of communication such as internet and mobile devices and who rely more on traditional means of information from local radio, newspapers and also through word of mouth. Installing signs in appropriate locations would provide a high visual impact and ensure that more road users are informed of closure events. This would allow them to make informed journey decisions and prevent wasted travelling time or cost. The physical presence of signing in the appropriate locations would virtually guarantee road users get the information they require whether or not they had other means of sourcing traffic or route news. The preferred solution recommended in this report is for a phased implementation of measures. The first phase would be a letter / leaflet drop to locals. These could be posted out to target areas, informing them of the local route issues road users may face and the various options available to them for sourcing real- time traffic and route information for their area. This could potentially increase awareness of the various sources of traffic and route info (TS website, Customer care line, twitter etc.) and lead to more people using the facilities to make informed journey decisions and prevent wasted journeys. The situation could then be monitored and should signing also be deemed necessary and budget is available then sign installations could be carried out. The recommended option for signing is a text activated sign with a variable LED sign face on the identified stretches north of both Lochgoilhead (B839) and Strachur (A815). Installation of these signs together with a targeted leaflet / letter campaign would cover most eventualities and negate the need for any locals to undertake wasted journeys north towards the A83 at times of road closures. Doc ref: 1209.035/001/0 - i - Service is our passion. People, our strength. Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 4 2. Signing Options .................................................................................................................... 7 2.1. Sign Types .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.2. Sign Locations ...................................................................................................................... 10 2.3. Cost Estimates ..................................................................................................................... 11 3. Existing sources of information for Lochgoilhead / Strachur area road users .................................................................................................................................... 12 3.1. Traffic Scotland Info ............................................................................................................. 12 3.2. Others ................................................................................................................................... 13 4. Conclusion / Options ......................................................................................................... 14 4.1. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 14 4.2. Options ................................................................................................................................. 14 Doc ref: 1209.035/001/0 - ii - Service is our passion. People, our strength. Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 List of Figures Figure 1 - Location and Route Plan ................................................................................................. 5 Figure 2 - Illustration of Fixed Plate Message sign with Flashers ............................................... 7 Figure 3 - Illustration of LED sign face display options ................................................................ 8 Figure 4 - Example of LED sign face .................................................................................................. 8 Figure 5 - Example of Gateway 100 VMS ........................................................................................... 9 Figure 6 - B839 North of Lochgoilhead where signing could be located .......................................... 10 Figure 7 - A815 North of Strachur where signing could be located .................................................. 10 Figure 8 - Approximate costs for signing options ....................................................................... 11 Doc ref: 1209.035/001/0 - iii - Service is our passion. People, our strength. Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 1. Introduction 1.1. Background 1.1.1. A recent letter from Alan Reid MP has highlighted an issue regarding closures of the A83 at, or near, the Rest and Be Thankful area. There are no signs to warn local road users travelling from either Lochgoilhead or Strachur areas of when the A83 Rest & Be Thankful is closed. Signs could be positioned outside the villages to warn drivers of closures and save them a wasted journey, since their preferred alternative route to Glasgow would be to travel south to Dunoon and use Western Ferries. 1.1.2. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and options available for providing signing on the routes out of the villages and the benefits they could provide in comparison to other means of informing road users i.e. Traffic Scotland website / radio, Customer Care Line, Twitter etc. 1.2. Location / Routes 1.2.1. The villages of Lochgoilhead and Strachur are shown on the location plan overleaf. Any road closures implemented on the A83 section (around Rest and Be Thankful area highlighted) can prevent traffic from these villages travelling by road (via A83 east then A82) towards Glasgow. The standard diversion route is via the A83 west, A819, A85 and A82. The alternative option of travelling south to Dunoon and taking the ferry across the Firth of Clyde and onwards to Glasgow / The south also exists. These options have the effects of increased journey time and costs for local road users. 1.2.2. The journey from Lochgoilhead (population approx. 400) North along the B839 / B828, to where it meets the A83 at Rest and Be Thankful (RBT) is approx. 9km long and typically takes around 15-20 minutes. From Strachur (combined population with Strathlachlan is approx. 700) there are 2 route options to reach the A83: via the A815 to A83 East of Cairndow –approx. 16.5 km taking around 20-25 minutes via the A815 / B839 / B828 to A83 RBT – approx. 23km taking around 30-35 minutes Doc ref: 1209.035/001/0 - iv - Service is our passion. People, our strength. Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 Figure 1 - Location and Route Plan Doc ref: 1209.035/001/0 - v - Service is our passion. People, our strength. Issued: March 2013 Project Name: A83 Rest and Be Thankful Closure Signing Document Title: 1209.035/001/0 1.2.3. The distances and journey times involved to get to the A83 to proceed to Glasgow / The south are substantial. Due to the nature of the network here, the A83 Rest & Be Thankful area has been subject to frequent road closures in the past. Landslides, inclement weather (high ground subject to heavy snow in winter) and other incident types have all contributed to numerous road closure events. This results in inconvenience for locals from Lochgoilhead / Strachurarea who undertake their journey only to be turned back at the A83 as it is impassable. 1.2.4. If signing was in place on the roads heading north out of Lochgoilhead / Strachur it could be utilised to inform road users of any closures on the A83 (or other routes affecting their journeys). This would prevent wasted journeys on the routes discussed