A-road

A886 traffic and collisions

The A886 is an A-road of 27.4 miles, in Argyll & Bute. This page covers its traffic at 5 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
5 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 5.0m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 500 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 738 B836 to A8003
  • HGV share 8.8% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 −4.6% same count points
  • Collisions, 2021 to 2025 5 0 fatal or serious

How busy is the A886?

On an average day in 2025, 500 vehicles passed each point on the A886, counting both directions. The busiest section is B836 to A8003 (Argyll & Bute), with 738 a day; the quietest listed is A8003 to B8000, with 400.

Busiest sections, 2025

B836 to A8003 carries 1.5 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A886 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
B836 to A8003 Argyll & Bute · 1.3 mi · HGVs 3.4% 738
B8000 Leanach to A815 Argyll & Bute · 3.6 mi · HGVs 9.9% 677
ferry to B836 Argyll & Bute · 5.2 mi · HGVs 7.9% 557
A844 to end of road, Rhubodach Argyll & Bute · 5.7 mi · HGVs 9.7% 487
A8003 to B8000 Argyll & Bute · 11.6 mi · HGVs 9.3% 400

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

In Argyll & Bute · 27.4 miles

Argyll & Bute
Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A886 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
Sections of the A886 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1A844 to end of road, RhubodachArgyll & Bute5.74879.7%−5.8%fewer than 3
2ferry to B836Argyll & Bute5.25577.9%−4.8%0
3B836 to A8003Argyll & Bute1.37383.4%−5.5%fewer than 3
4A8003 to B8000Argyll & Bute11.64009.3%−3.8%fewer than 3
5B8000 Leanach to A815Argyll & Bute3.66779.9%−4.2%fewer than 3

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A886 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.

A886 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 63.6% of the vehicle miles on the A886. HGVs account for 8.8%, rising to 9.9% on B8000 Leanach to A815.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A886, by year
Year HGV share
2000 5.8%
2001 5.4%
2002 5.3%
2003 5.0%
2004 4.8%
2005 5.0%
2006 5.0%
2007 5.4%
2008 6.2%
2009 6.1%
2010 6.9%
2011 6.8%
2012 8.3%
2013 8.3%
2014 8.4%
2015 8.6%
2016 8.7%
2017 8.8%
2018 8.9%
2019 8.7%
2020 10.1%
2021 9.8%
2022 9.3%
2023 9.0%
2024 8.8%
2025 8.8%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

A886 traffic trend

Traffic on the A886 came to 5 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 4.6% on 2019, before the pandemic, and down 0.9% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is down 17.3% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A886 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 6.1m
2001 6.2m
2002 6.4m
2003 6.7m
2004 6.7m
2005 6.7m
2006 6.8m
2007 6.7m
2008 6.4m
2009 6.5m
2010 5.2m
2011 6.0m
2012 4.7m
2013 4.8m
2014 4.9m
2015 5.0m
2016 5.2m
2017 5.2m
2018 5.3m
2019 5.2m
2020 4.0m
2021 4.5m
2022 4.8m
2023 4.9m
2024 5.0m
2025 5.0m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A886, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 605
2001 616
2002 640
2003 669
2004 671
2005 673
2006 684
2007 673
2008 636
2009 647
2010 638
2011 603
2012 469
2013 478
2014 491
2015 505
2016 517
2017 524
2018 527
2019 525
2020 403
2021 445
2022 480
2023 489
2024 495
2025 500

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.

A886 collisions

Police recorded 5 collisions with the A886 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 0 of them fatal or serious.

Reported collisions by year

Police-reported collisions on the A886 by year
Year Collisions Fatal or serious
2021 fewer than 3 0
2022 0 0
2023 fewer than 3 0
2024 fewer than 3 0
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 A886

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

  • Argyll & Bute

Roadworks on the A886 in Scotland

The Scottish Road Works Register lists 1 set of roadworks on the A886 in Scotland, 1 of them under way. From the extract of 16 September 2026.

  • A886 Through Glendaruel From B8000 Junction At Leanach To Auchenbreck Farm

    Temporary traffic lights Under way, until 16 Sept 2026 Argyll & Bute Council

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

Datasets used on this page
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.