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2 Main Points
Major & Minor Roads
2.1 The estimated volume of traffic on Scotland's roads in 2012 was around 43.5 billion (thousand million) vehicle kms: 0.4% more than 2011, a levelling off of the steady downward trend seen since 2007. (Table 5.1)
2.2 The total volume of traffic on major roads (Motorways and A roads) in 2012 was estimated to be 28.9 billion vehicle-kms. Traffic on Motorways accounted for 7.1 billion vehicle kms (16% of all traffic). This was less than the estimated 9.7 billion vehicle kms on trunk A roads (22% of the total), and the 12.1 billion on non-trunk A roads (28%). Three quarters of A road traffic was in rural areas: 16.3 billion out of the A roads total of 21.7 billion vehicle kms. (Table 5.1)
2.3 Minor roads (B, C and unclassified roads) accounted for the remaining 34% of traffic in 2012: an estimated 14.7 billion vehicle kms, most of which was on unclassified roads (8.3 billion). Most (55%) minor road traffic (8 billion vehicle-kms in 2012) is on roads in urban areas. (Table 5.1)
2.5 The total volume of traffic on major roads (Motorways and A roads) in 2012 was 1% higher than in the previous year (Motorways increased by 9%, which will in part due to a 6% increase in the motorway network, see Chapter 5). Minor road traffic was about 0.9% lower than in 2011. Traffic levels are around 2 per cent higher than in 2002. (Table 5.1)
Trends
2.6 DfT estimates suggest a rising trend in traffic volumes on major roads in Scotland, reaching a peak in 2007 when numbers levelled off, 6 per cent higher than they had been in 2002. Traffic volumes then fell back slightly but after increases in the last couple of years are now at similar levels to 2007. Motorway traffic saw a 17 per cent rise between 2002 and 2008, fell slightly over the next two years and has started to rise again over the last two years. (Table 5.1)
2.7 Traffic on minor roads is estimated to have risen by 10% between 2002 and 2007, falling by 6% since and the total volume of traffic on all roads in Scotland in 2012 was also estimated to have risen by 8% between 2002 and 2007, falling 3% since. (Table 5.1)
2.8 Cars account for over three quarters (78%) of the total volume of traffic on the roads (i.e. of the total for major roads and minor roads combined), light goods vehicles for 14% and heavy goods vehicles for 6%. Pedal cycles are the only mode of transport to have seen an increase in each of the last five years, with traffic volumes increasing by 29%, though pedal cycles still account for less than one percent of estimated traffic volume. (Table 5.2)
2.9 In 2012, the volume of car traffic was 2 per cent higher than in 2002 but 2 per cent below the 2007 peak, light goods vehicle traffic 27 per cent higher, and heavy goods vehicle traffic 2% higher. (Table 5.3)
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