SNP ministers ditch plan to cut single carriageway speed limit to 50mph
The Tories called the idea ‘ridiculous’ and ‘senseless’
SNP ministers have ditched a proposal to cut the speed limit on single carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph for cars.
It comes after a consultation by Transport Scotland received almost 20,000 responses, the largest ever recorded by the body.
Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said thousands of pounds had been wasted on the “ridiculous” and “senseless” idea.
The Scottish Government said separate plans to increase the speed limit for HGVs on single and dual carriageways will go ahead.
Analysis of the consultation responses found 77 per cent felt the current national speed limit of 60mph on single carriageway roads was about right.
Nine out of 10 respondents did not think a reduction in the speed limit would address national casualty reduction targets.
A total of 89 per cent thought a reduction would make driver frustration a lot worse (79 per cent) or slightly worse (10 per cent), while the same percentage thought it would make journey times worse.
Mr Kerr, who represents the North East and campaigned against the proposals, said: “Now these needless plans have been dropped, the Scottish Government should concentrate more on improving our roads rather than waging a war on motorists.
“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.
“Rather than taking proper action to protect drivers, this is another example of the Scottish Government thinking of ways to punish them to make up for their own failures to fix our crumbling roads.”
The Road Haulage Association welcomed the announcement that the speed limit for HGVs on trunk roads is to be increased to 50mph.
Martin Reid, the body’s policy director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, 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.”
SNP 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.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.