A-road
A846 traffic and collisions
The A846 is an A-road of 47.0 miles, in Argyll & Bute. This page covers its traffic at 5 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.
- Traffic in 2025 15m vehicle miles
- Average daily traffic 874 vehicles a day, both directions
- Busiest section 2,553 A847 to B8016
- HGV share 6.5% of vehicle miles
- Traffic since 2019 −5.5% same count points
- Collisions, 2021 to 2025 5 fewer than 3 fatal or serious
How busy is the A846?
On an average day in 2025, 874 vehicles passed each point on the A846, counting both directions. The busiest section is A847 to B8016 (Argyll & Bute), with 2,553 a day; the quietest listed is Feolin ferry to Lussagiven, with 192.
Busiest sections, 2025
A847 to B8016 carries 2.9 times the road’s average flow.
| Section | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| A847 to B8016 Argyll & Bute · 0.7 mi · HGVs 4.4% | 2,553 |
| At B8016 Argyll & Bute · 10.9 mi · HGVs 2.1% | 2,143 |
| Port Askaig ferry to A847 Argyll & Bute · 7.7 mi · HGVs 18.7% | 1,024 |
| B8016 to Ardbeg pier Argyll & Bute · 4.6 mi · HGVs 4.2% | 788 |
| Feolin ferry to Lussagiven Argyll & Bute · 23.1 mi · HGVs 10.4% | 192 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Route
In Argyll & Bute · 47.0 miles
A846 traffic and collisions by section
5 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length.
Sections Tap a column heading to sort
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feolin ferry to LussagivenArgyll & Bute | 192 | 0 |
| 2 | Port Askaig ferry to A847Argyll & Bute | 1,024 | fewer than 3 |
| 3 | A847 to B8016Argyll & Bute | 2,553 | 0 |
| 4 | At B8016Argyll & Bute | 2,143 | 0 |
| 5 | B8016 to Ardbeg pierArgyll & Bute | 788 | 0 |
Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A846 as the first road, placed on the nearest section by their recorded position; rates (per 100 million vehicle miles) are shown for sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more.
A846 traffic by vehicle type
Cars and taxis make up 67.6% of the vehicle miles on the A846. HGVs account for 6.5%, rising to 18.7% on Port Askaig ferry to A847.
Vehicle mix, 2025
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
HGV share of traffic
| Year | HGV share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.9% |
| 2001 | 4.7% |
| 2002 | 4.8% |
| 2003 | 4.4% |
| 2004 | 5.9% |
| 2005 | 6.0% |
| 2006 | 6.0% |
| 2007 | 6.1% |
| 2008 | 5.4% |
| 2009 | 6.0% |
| 2010 | 6.3% |
| 2011 | 6.3% |
| 2012 | 7.3% |
| 2013 | 7.3% |
| 2014 | 7.5% |
| 2015 | 7.6% |
| 2016 | 7.8% |
| 2017 | 7.9% |
| 2018 | 8.1% |
| 2019 | 8.1% |
| 2020 | 9.5% |
| 2021 | 9.2% |
| 2022 | 8.7% |
| 2023 | 8.3% |
| 2024 | 6.5% |
| 2025 | 6.5% |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
A846 traffic trend
Traffic on the A846 came to 15 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 5.5% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 1.3% on 2015.
Vehicle miles a year
Like for like, traffic is up 26.5% on 2000.
| Year | Vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 12m |
| 2001 | 12m |
| 2002 | 13m |
| 2003 | 13m |
| 2004 | 13m |
| 2005 | 13m |
| 2006 | 13m |
| 2007 | 13m |
| 2008 | 14m |
| 2009 | 14m |
| 2010 | 14m |
| 2011 | 14m |
| 2012 | 14m |
| 2013 | 14m |
| 2014 | 15m |
| 2015 | 15m |
| 2016 | 16m |
| 2017 | 16m |
| 2018 | 16m |
| 2019 | 16m |
| 2020 | 12m |
| 2021 | 13m |
| 2022 | 15m |
| 2023 | 15m |
| 2024 | 15m |
| 2025 | 15m |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
Average daily flow
| Year | Vehicles a day |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 691 |
| 2001 | 704 |
| 2002 | 739 |
| 2003 | 769 |
| 2004 | 744 |
| 2005 | 746 |
| 2006 | 759 |
| 2007 | 751 |
| 2008 | 803 |
| 2009 | 832 |
| 2010 | 816 |
| 2011 | 820 |
| 2012 | 826 |
| 2013 | 841 |
| 2014 | 863 |
| 2015 | 886 |
| 2016 | 909 |
| 2017 | 918 |
| 2018 | 924 |
| 2019 | 925 |
| 2020 | 708 |
| 2021 | 783 |
| 2022 | 850 |
| 2023 | 866 |
| 2024 | 863 |
| 2025 | 874 |
Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated
The chart counts the whole road as it was each year, so new or renumbered stretches move it. The percentage changes compare only count points present in both years. In 2025, 0 of the 5 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.
A846 collisions
Police recorded 5 collisions with the A846 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, fewer than 3 of them fatal or serious.
Reported collisions by year
| Year | Collisions | Fatal or serious |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | fewer than 3 | fewer than 3 |
| 2022 | fewer than 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | fewer than 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | fewer than 3 | fewer than 3 |
| 2025 | fewer than 3 | 0 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. How we count collisions
Council areas on the A846
In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.
- Argyll & Bute
Roadworks on the A846 in Scotland
The Scottish Road Works Register lists 18 sets of roadworks on the A846 in Scotland, 4 of them under way. 1 close the road, a lane or a slip road. From the extract of 16 September 2026.
-
A846 West Of Port Askaig From The Cottage To Keills Schoolhouse
-
A846 Through Port Ellen From The Manse To Charlotte Street
-
A846 Through Port Ellen From The Manse To Charlotte Street
-
A846 Through Port Askaig From The Ferry Slip To The Cottage
-
A846 South Of Bowmore From Main Street To Access At North End Of Islay Airport
-
A846 North Of Port Ellen From Machrie Hotel Road To The Manse
Works in Scotland only, and only where the register records them against the road number. The register publishes one extract a day, so works can start, finish or change after it is taken. Roadworks across Scotland
Source:SRWR Extract of 2026-09-16 Updated
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic counts and vehicle mix | Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2000 to 2025 | 5 count points in 2025 | 15 September 2026 |
| Reported collisions | Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2021 to 2025 | 5 reported collisions | 15 September 2026 |
| Roadworks | Scottish Road Works Register open data Scottish Road Works Commissioner | Extract of 2026-09-16 | 22,074 sets of roadworks recorded in Scotland | 16 September 2026 |
- Annual average daily flow (AADF) is the average number of vehicles passing a point on a typical day of the year, both directions combined.
- Vehicle miles are AADF multiplied by link length and 365, summed over every count point link on the road.
- Sections join count point links between junctions, using the link lines in DfT’s major road database.
- STATS19 covers personal injury collisions reported to the police. Damage-only collisions are not included, and not every injury collision is reported.
- Serious and slight figures are DfT’s adjusted estimates, which allow for police forces moving to injury-based reporting.
- Counts of one or two collisions below Great Britain level are shown as “fewer than 3”.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.