Transport / Sixty to stay as Scottish ministers decide against reducing national speed limit
A PROPOSAL to reduce the limit on single carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph has been dropped by the Scottish Government.
The move has been welcomed Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston, who said a blanket change to speed limits would have been “disproportionate”.
A consultation on the proposal was launched earlier this year by Transport Scotland, which included an in-person event in Lerwick.
The proposal would have effectively meant all local roads in Shetland currently at 60mph would drop to 50.
After more than 19,500 responses to the consultation were received, Transport Scotland has now confirmed that ministers will not be taking forward changes to the national speed limit on single carriageway roads.
It added: “Further work will be undertaken to continue to analyse the impact on road casualties and journey times of a speed limit change on different standards of single carriageways.”
Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said it was an “SNP U-turn” on 50mph limits.
“These out-of-touch proposals seemed more like an attempt to punish motorists and a distraction which would have allowed ministers in Edinburgh to avoid taking responsibility for their neglect of our vital infrastructure,” he said.
“A blanket change to speed limits is disproportionate and would have a huge impact on motorists all over Scotland, especially in the Highlands and Islands where single-carriage national speed limit roads are the main routes that connect most of our communities.
“There are real safety concerns on some rural roads and speed must be considered as part of a well-targeted response to specific problems.”
He also encouraged the government to “get on with fixing our roads network” and sort out “countless long-overdue projects”.
Meanwhile in relation to Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) speed limits, Transport Scotland said work will be undertaken to progress steps to increase speed limits on single and dual carriageways for this vehicle type.
Scottish transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The National Speed Management Review provides important evidence on how speed limits can help reduce road deaths and serious injuries, and is helping us work towards our ambitious goal of making Scotland’s roads the safest in the world by 2030.
“The next steps have been informed by the huge number of responses to the public consultation. Work will be undertaken to further analyse the impact on road casualties and journey times of a speed limit change on different standards of single carriageways and this will inform any future transport policies.
“We are also going to start work now on the steps needed to increase HGV speed limits, recognising the consultation feedback and the positive results of similar changes from the A9 HGV speed limit trial and other parts of the UK.
“By reducing the speed differential between HGVs and other vehicles, this change is expected to enhance road safety by reducing driver frustration and improving journey time reliability.
“We must never lose sight of the fact that one death on our roads is one too many. These proposals represent a vital step towards making Scotland roads safer.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
