vehicle count and average speed cables

Summary

The requester asked for policies, installation dates, locations, and raw anonymous data regarding temporary vehicle count and average speed cables in Douglas and surrounding routes. The Department of Infrastructure refused to provide the raw data or create new compilations, citing practical refusal and exemptions against creating information, though they provided existing documents.

Key Facts

• The request was received on 28 December 2018 and closed on 20 March 2019.
• The Department refused to provide raw data under section 11(3)(a) as it was not held or could not be found without reasonable steps.
• The Department refused to create or derive information under section 11(3)(b) referencing section 8(3) of the Act.
• Traffic counts are typically requested due to speeding concerns, transport assessments, planning applications, or vehicle type analysis.
• The requester was advised to contact Enquiries@Highways.gov.im for further dialogue under business as usual.

Data Disclosed

• 28 December 2018
• 20 March 2019
• 687969
• section 11(3)(a)
• section 11(3)(b)
• section 8(3)
• Freedom of Information Act 2015

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11(3)(a) - Practical refusal (information not held or cannot be found)
• Section 11(3)(b) referencing Section 8(3) - No duty to create, derive, research, or substantially compile information

Original Request

what is the policy, strategy and process to install temporary vehicle count and average speed cables and what dates and locations were they installed and uninstalled, what was the anonymous raw data collected each time and were there any related recommendations and outcomes each time?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Department of Infrastructure Sea Terminal Building, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF

Contact: Maggie Farmer Telephone: (01624) 686785 Email: dpo-doi@gov.im

Our ref: 687969 20 March 2019

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 28 December 2018 and which states (sic):

"what is the policy, strategy and process to install temporary vehicle count and average speed cables and what dates and locations were they installed and uninstalled, what was the anonymous raw data collected each time and were there any related recommendations and outcomes each time? And after clarification: as discussed by telephone, i am most interested in douglas and key routes into douglas up to a few miles radius, i.e. coast road, onchan, johnny watterson lane / ballanard road, old castletown road, new castletown road, etc and most interested in quantified numbers at peak and off peak hours and days/dates most likely one or more CSV or XLSX files with itemised not summarised data (vehicle statistics are not personal data and any row or column with ANPR data should be deleted) and with a 1 or 2 line text description in relation to what prompted the data collection (un biosphere environmental analysis, google waze congestion analysis, a vehicle incident, periodic benchmarks, a local resident complaint, etc) and with a 1 or 2 line text description in relation to what happened if relevant"

Whilst our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance under section 11(3)(a) of the Act (practical refusal) we do not hold or cannot after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested. In addition, under section 11(3)(b) of the Act (referencing section 8(3), the Department is not required to (a) create or derive information from the information that it holds; (b) undertake research into, or analysis of, information that it holds; or (c) undertake substantial compilation or collation of information that it holds. Some of the information you have requested is either not held, or not recorded on our system in such a way that we can extract and provide it without substantial analysis and compilation. We have however enclosed a copy of documents relating to the vehicle count and average speed cables in Appendix 1.

The following are some of the reasons why a traffic or speed count may be requested: Concerns over speeding Transport assessments Planning applications Types of vehicles using a particular route

These requests can be made by the public, politicians, Government departments, architects etc. Depending on who submits the request and for what reasons will determine the outcome. For example an architect may want to know the speed of vehicles travelling along a road in order that they can provide the correct visibility splays for an entrance to a site. Please note that Freedom of Information is a request only for ‘information held’. However the Department is and always has been happy to engage (under business as usual) in dialogue with members of the public, so if you wished to enquire further, you can do so by emailing Enquiries@Highways.gov.im Please quote the reference number 687969 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im.

Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

PC.dp (GDPR)