Government drops plans to reduce speeds on single carriageways

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.”

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.