Scottish government drops plans to reduce national speed limit

The Scottish government has dropped plans to reduce the national speed limit on single carriageway roads.

Proposals included reducing the speed limit on the roads from 60mph down to 50mph.

A consultation, showed the plans were unpopular, with some respondents raising concerns about the impact on journey times.

Work will continue to raise speed limits for HGVs on single and dual carriageways, aiming to reduce speed differences with other vehicles, ease driver frustration, and improve journey time reliability.

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.

"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."

Road deaths increase

The move comes after the number of deaths on Scotland's roads increased.

Provisional figures released by Transport Scotland showed that 160 people died in 2024 – 13 more than the year before.

However, the total number of people injured on the roads dropped from 5,838 to 5,576.

Deaths involving cars and motorbikes increased last year but the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed on the roads reduced.

The Scottish government has a target, set in 2021, to reduce road deaths by half by the end of the decade.

The Scottish Greens have been pushing for lower speed limits on roads for years.

The party said the decision not to reduce national speed limits to 50mph was "regrettable" and "goes against the evidence".

Its transport spokesman Mark Ruskell said: "Our priority has to be preventing accidents and saving lives.

"Lower speeds have been shown to reduce the number and severity of incidents, with limited impact on journey times."

In 2019, the Scottish Parliament rejected a bill - tabled by Ruskell - seeking to reduce the standard speed limit on residential streets from 30pmh to 20mph.

For cars, speed limits are set at 30mph in built-up areas, 60mph on single carriageways and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways.

However, local authorities are able to set limits below these, such as 20mph in built-up areas or 50mph in a stretch of road with sharp bends.

Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said the proposals were "needless" and the government should focus on improving roads, like the overdue A9 dualling project.

He said: "Taxpayers will rightly be furious that hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted on this senseless idea, which would have penalised ordinary people without cutting down on dangerous driving.

"The fact nine out of the 10 respondents didn't think lowering the speed limit would address road casualties highlights how ridiculous these proposals were."

Business groups in the north and north east also previously raised concerns about the proposals and said they would harm connectivity and further disadvantage rural communities.

But the Road Haulage Association welcomed the announcement on speed limits for HGVs.

Policy director Martin Reid said: "This is tremendous news for Scotland's road haulage industry.

"We believe it will make these roads safer, reduce emissions and help regional and national economic growth.

"We know through the trial on the A9 that when the speed differential between cars and trucks is reduced it also reduces the likelihood of risky overtaking.

"We also know that lorries use less fuel and create fewer emissions when they can drive at 50mph."