Question reference: S6W-13684
- Date lodged: 9 January 2023
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 January 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to deal with any disruption to transport in the South Scotland region caused by flooding.
Answer
Climate change will increase both the intensity and frequency of storms, flooding and high winds. The recent impact of flooding on our roads and railway is a reminder of the need to adapt our transport network to the effects of severe weather.
Action has been taken but Transport Scotland has identified the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation as a central plank in the National Transport Strategy which sets out the vison for the next decades.
Transport Scotland’s Road Operating Companies are required to undertake a series of activities aimed at improving journey time reliability by minimising the risk of unplanned disruption to the operation of the trunk road network. The Transport Scotland Manual for the Management of the Risk of Unplanned Network Disruption provides direction to Operating Companies on managing and mitigating the effects of disruptive events, such as those caused by weather events like flooding. The manual requires Operating Companies to develop and implement disruption risk processes which are informed by the formal recording of all previous events, as they occur. This includes severe weather related events such as high winds, flooding, snow and ice.