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Scotland's trunk road traffic intelligence service

Current Incidents

Find out more about current incidents on Scotland's trunk road network. Alternatively you can  view them on our map . 

A9000 M90 J1b (Ferrytoll) - start of Forth Road Bridge

Direction: Southbound

Incident type: Closure

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 11:03pm

2 lanes closed Southbound

A92 Tay Road Bridge

Direction: Northbound & Southbound

Incident type: Roadworks

Start time: 6th of March 2024, 7:30am

The A92 Tay Road Bridge is restricted in both directions to allow for essential roadworks to be carried out. Road users are advised to take care on approach.

M8 Jct 16 - Jct 18

Direction: Eastbound & Westbound

Start time: 12th of March 2021, 8:53pm

The M8 both Eastbound and Westbound between Junctions 16 and Junction 18 is currently restricted due to essential bridge repairs. Motorists are advised to expect delays in the area.

A9 Carrbridge - A95 North Aviemore

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 10:29pm

The A9 is closed to all traffic at Carrbridge due to a road traffic incident. Road users are advised to use an alternative route and expect longer than normal journey times.

A77 Bellfield - Meiklewood

Direction: Northbound

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 8:25pm

The A77 is closed to all northbound traffic, between Bellfield Interchange and Meiklewood, due to overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

M74 J12 - J13

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 9:41pm

The M74 is closed to all Northbound traffic, between Jct 12 & Jct 10, due to overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

A1(N) Thistly Cross

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 9:12pm

The A1 northbound after Thistly Cross Roundabout is closed to allow for overnight. Road users are advised to use the signed diversion in operation.

M90 (N) Jct 2a Off-Slip

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 8:17pm

The slip from the M90 (N) J2a to the A92 is closed to allow for overnight. Road users are advised to use the signed diversion in operation.

M73 J2 - M8 J8 (Baillieston NB slip linking M73 to M8)

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 9:07pm

The M73 Junction 2 Exit to the M8 is currently closed due to essential overnight roadworks. Motorists are advised to use the available signed diversion route.

A8 Glen Rbt - Gibshill Road

Direction: Westbound

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 8:33pm

The A8 is closed to all Westbound traffic, at the Glen Roundabout, due to overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

A82 Corrychurrachan Closure

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 7:56pm

The A82 is closed to all traffic at Corrychurrachan due to overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to wait for the next amnesty period. Longer than normal journey times are to be expected.

M9 J1(Newbridge) - M8 J2(Claylands)

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 7:32pm

The M9 at J2 Claylands is currently closed westbound due to essential overnight roadworks. Motorists are advised to use the available signed diversion route.

A7 Langholm to Hawick

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 7:35pm

The A7 is closed to all traffic, between Teviothead & Langholm due to overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

M8 J2 -J1 W

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 7:30pm

The M8 at J2 Claylands is currently closed Westbound due to essential overnight roadworks. Motorists are advised to use the available signed diversion route. Motorists are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

A1 Cockburnspath - Grantshouse

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 7:15pm

The A1 North of Grantshouse is currently closed in both directions due to essential overnight roadworks. Motorists are advised to follow the signed diversion and expect longer than normal journey times.

A99 Thrumster - Wick

Start time: 12th of June 2024, 6:57pm

The A99 at Toftcall closed in both directions due to essential overnight roadworks. Road users are advised to follow the signed diversion or, if possible, wait for the amnesty period.

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A brief history of the traffic light and why we need a new colour

The first design in 1868 blew up in a gas explosion, and the modern design has barely changed in 100 years. Now, self-drive vehicles may need a fourth colour.

The universally known traffic light has not experienced a significant redesign in almost 100 years, ever since William Pott, a Detroit police officer, created the first three-section traffic light in the United States in 1921. Now, say experts, the rise of driverless cars means that a new set of safety guidelines is needed to ensure they interact correctly with traffic signals.

Traffic lights around the world typically use red, amber and green lights to signal to drivers whether they should stop, go or get ready to either stop or go at intersections and pedestrian crossings. Ali Hajbabaie, a North Carolina State University (NCSU) engineering professor, is leading a team to design a traffic system that considers how driverless cars respond to traffic signals.

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Hajbabaie told The Associated Press news agency that he proposes adding another light – possibly a white one.

Traffic signals are about more than just safety. They enable better traffic flow, leading to less congestion, and can also be beneficial to the economy when people waste less time and fuel on the roads.

According to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard by INRIX, a company that creates products and services related to the transport industry and autonomous vehicles, the combined cost to the economy of road congestion in the United Kingdom, Germany and the US was $2.2bn. Traffic lights make a significant contribution to keeping this cost down.

But what else can we learn from the past to inform the future?

When was the traffic light invented?

The world’s first traffic light was installed on Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, on December 10, 1868.

The growing congestion of horse-drawn carriages at that specific intersection was making it increasingly dangerous for pedestrians in the area.

The traffic light installation featured a pillar with a top section resembling a cross. It had semaphore signalling arms, which moved up and down to instruct traffic to move or stop, and red or green gas lights.

Designed to replicate the gestures of a traffic policeman, traffic was required to stop when both arms were perpendicular and move on when they were at a 45-degree angle. The red and green gas lamps were used at night.

Based on a railway signalling system, it required a policeman to operate. Gas was fed into the mechanism from a pipe in the ground to power the lights.

Unfortunately, the first design of the traffic light had a rough start. A gas leak from the supply pipe beneath it triggered an explosion in the traffic light mechanism, injuring the policeman operating it.

Deemed a safety hazard, the traffic light was quickly removed and traffic lights were banned altogether for the next 60 years. They eventually returned to the British streets in 1929, following the 1921 invention of the three-light signalling system in Detroit.

The first traffic lights powered by electricity were invented in 1923 by the African-American inventor, Garrett Morgan. He eventually sold his design to General Electric for $40,000 ($730,000 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation).

Why are traffic lights red, amber and green?

The first colour system used in traffic signal systems was based on the navigational lights system used on ships at sea.

Through the use of the red and green lights, crews on approaching vessels can instantly tell which direction a ship is travelling. This lighting system served as an early collision-prevention system, especially at night in low visibility conditions.

The amber light used on modern traffic lights was not introduced until 1921 when inventor William Potts brought the three-colour traffic light to Detroit.

This innovation added a yellow “caution” light to the existing red and green signals – signalling to motorists that the lights were about to change and alerting them to slow down. The first four-way, three-colour traffic light was installed at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Fort Street in Detroit in 1921 and, by the mid-1930s, this standard had become widespread across the country.

Why do we need a fourth colour now?

Humans and autonomous cars use different sets of visual cues when it comes to interpreting lighting systems. Different colours – sometimes flashing to indicate that a change is imminent – work best for the human brain, while a single light works better for autonomous cars.

Therefore, a fourth light – most likely white – would be added for the benefit of self-driving cars. The white light would be interpreted by a self-driven car as an instruction to “keep going unless instructed otherwise”.

Hajbabaie, the NCSU professor, explained: “If the white light is active, you just follow the vehicle in front of you.”

What different types of traffic light systems are there?

Although there are various types of traffic signal technology, most traffic systems fall into two categories: traffic signals which operate on a fixed schedule; and traffic signals which can adjust timing based on traffic volume.

Some different models of traffic signalling are:

• Fixed-time traffic signals: These are not based on traffic volume. The traffic planner sets the timing of each set of lights based on general research which will move the traffic forward at a predetermined time.
• Detection traffic signals: Also known as “actuated traffic signals”, these work with devices embedded in the road which detect the presence and volume of vehicles waiting at an intersection and then sync with the traffic signal, indicating when traffic should move or stop.
• Split-cycle offset optimisation technique (SCOOT): This traffic management system aims to optimise the volume of traffic at intersections using real-time traffic data. SCOOT automatically adjusts the light sequence based on data collected from traffic signals. This helps to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.
• Pedestrian-activated traffic signals: These are activated via a manual push button or sensor which identifies a pedestrian at the crossing and changes the lights to stop the traffic.

Could AI be used in traffic systems?

Henry Liu, a civil engineering professor at the University of Michigan, has come up with a different approach to solving traffic congestion problems using artificial intelligence (AI).

Having won a $15m grant to establish the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation from the US Department of Transportation in February last year, Liu and his team are testing how traffic lights could be signalled using real-time location and speed data from cars equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham.

This particular neighbourhood in Detroit has been chosen because all 34 traffic lights in Birmingham rely on a fixed schedule. They do not receive information from cameras or sensors to adjust for traffic flow, meaning they can be adapted to receive information solely from cars, Liu explained, without any interference.

Airport welcomes Hajj pilgrims for life-changing trip

Muslim pilgrims have been passing through Manchester Airport for Hajj

• Published 11 June 2024

In modern times, an airport is a likely starting point for millions of Hajj pilgrims setting off on the journey to Mecca.

More than a thousand Muslims are expected to travel through Manchester Airport this week as the north of England's only transport hub with direct flights to Jeddah.

Ihram changing rooms and Wudhu washing facilities have been set aside in terminal two specifically for pilgrims travelling to the holiest site in Islam.

Shurma Chowdhury, a Muslim chaplain at the airport, said the annual pilgrimage was a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.

Shurma Chowdhury has been greeting pilgrims at the airport

She is one of the first faces that pilgrims will see at the airport, and is there to ensure their trip goes smoothly.

"For some people, it could be their first time at an airport, so I am just here to help them around," Ms Chowdhury said

"The last thing you want is to be worried you’re lost and you’re going to be late for prayer or trying to find the washrooms."

What is the Hajj pilgrimage?

• Published 26 June 2023

Tours for Hajj, which falls this year between 14 and 19 June, set off from Manchester this week, with many expected to spend ten to 21 days in Saudi Arabia.

Hajj is the annual pilgrimage made by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca, with millions making the journey from across the world.

Jeddah Airport is about an hour's drive to Mecca.

Ms Chowdhury said many pilgrims would perform the Hajj only once, and it was an "expensive undertaking", which can cost up to £10,000 per person.

Covid-related restrictions remain in place meaning spaces were "very limited", she added.

Mohammed Nawid Ahmed Hanif and Dahira Naveed are flying to Jeddah

Some, like Mohammed Nawid Ahmed Hanif and Dahira Naveed are making the pilgrimage for the first time.

"It’s very important, as it is one of our pillars of Islam,” Mr Ahmed Hanif said, adding the pair "wanted to do it at a young age".

Imran Valley said he was "elated" as he and his wife Hasfa made final preparations in the departures lounge.

"I just want to get there, I just want to experience it, I hear people say it’s a magnificent place," he said.

Hasfa and Imran Valley said they were both excited for the pilgrimage

Hasfa, who has undertaken Hajj before, said she was "feeling the pressure".

"You want to get everything right, it’s so important, the journey is so significant, you can’t afford to get anything wrong."

Another Muslim chaplain at the airport, Faruk Ali, said designated areas had been set aside at the airport for pilgrims to "change into their Hajj gear, which we call Ihram".

Manchester Airport has signposted changing rooms and washing facilities for pilgrims.

This consists of two white cotton garments worn on the upper and lower parts of the body by men only, he said.

"It's important for those travelling direct, as they have to be in the Hajj gear before they enter certain boundaries of Saudi Arabia."

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Related Topics

• Manchester Airport
• Saudi Arabia

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