Elected Member Briefing - National Speed Management Review (Transport Scotland)

This briefing note is intended to advise elected members regarding a consultation launched by Transport Scotland to gather public and stakeholder views on proposed changes to speed limits in Scotland.

The National Speed Management Review seeks to ensure speed limits on Scotland's roads are appropriate and contribute to reducing injury and death on our roads.

Briefing Information

The Transport Scotland consultation runs until Wednesday 5th March 2025. It invites online feedback on proposals to lower the national speed limit on single carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph and to increase speed limits for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes on single carriageways from 40mph to 50mph. The proposals also cover an increase of the speed limit for goods vehicles on dual carriageways from 50mph to 60mph; but this only applies to the trunk road network.

National speed limits

A speed limit is a regulation establishing the maximum speed at which it is permitted to drive a motor vehicle along a given road or section of road. While practical enforcement procedures vary, anyone exceeding the limit by any amount is committing an offence in law.

In the United Kingdom there are three national speed limits for motor vehicles. These are:

30mph speed limit on lighted roads (sometimes referred to as restricted roads)
National speed limit of 60mph for cars on single carriageway all-purpose roads
National speed limit of 70mph for cars on dual carriageways and motorways

Current speed limits have come about through many years of traffic regulation legislation. The concept of different speeds for urban and non-urban areas was set out in the Road Traffic Act 1934. This applied a restricted speed limit of 30mph to street-lit urban areas. It also defined non-lit rural sections as unrestricted roads. There was no upper speed limit on rural roads as the performance of most motor vehicles prevented high speeds. A national rural speed limit of 60mph was trialled in 1965 as an experiment on all previously unrestricted roads. Various amendments saw the national speed limit introduced first as a standard 70 mph; then amended several times, most notably due to the 1973 oil crisis, before becoming 60 mph on single carriageway roads and 70 mph on dual carriageway roads in the late 1970s.

Vehicle class limits

Vehicle class speed limits also apply on UK roads. These restrict certain classes of vehicle, notably vehicles towing trailers, buses and coaches, and goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes to different speed limits for three different types of road - single carriageway, dual carriageway and motorway.

While all vehicles are subject to the 30mph speed limit in urban areas, on rural single carriageway roads, all cars towing a caravan or trailer, as well as buses, coaches and mini-buses, and goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5T are restricted to 50mph. Goods vehicles exceeding 7.5T are restricted to 40mph. [In England and Wales, goods vehicles exceeding 7.5T are permitted to travel at 50mph on single carriageway rural roads.]

Local speed limit variations

These national limits are not necessarily suitable for all rural roads. Where appropriate, a roads authority may introduce a local speed limit based upon guidance issued by the Department for Transport. The current guidance is set out in a document called "DfT Circular 01/2006 Setting Local Speed Limits" (which replaced "Circular Roads 01/93" in August 2006).

Since 2012, Perth and Kinross Council has been introducing 40mph walking and cycling friendly Green Routes on minor roads that connect rural communities. These are low-volume, low-speed roads with restricted width and poor alignment that ensures the lower speed limit is self-regulating. Green Routes are not considered appropriate on A and B Class roads or rural roads with higher traffic flows (exceeding 1,000 vehicles per day) or where the 85th percentile speed exceeds 40mph. [The 85th percentile speed is the speed at which 85% of traffic is travelling at or below and is used for road design and setting speed limits.]

Highway Code

Regardless of the maximum permitted speed, all drivers should be travelling at a speed that is appropriate for the road alignment and weather conditions, and for their driving ability and vehicle category, eg. during the hours of darkness or when the road is wet, drivers are expected to reduce their speeds (Highway Code: Item 125). This applies to all roads.

Key transport routes

The local road network in Perth & Kinross contains some key transport routes, such as the A94 Perth - Forfar and A977 Kinross - Kincardine, where traffic volumes and vehicle speeds are higher than the adjacent road network. The road width, road alignment and forward sight distance on these routes are good, resulting in higher speeds. The 85th percentile speeds on these roads are around 55mph. Lowering the speed limit on these routes, where there is full overtaking sight distance, is unlikely to result in compliance. This will lead to increased demands on Police Scotland to carry out enforcement activity or on the Council for additional speed reduction measures (or both). Similarly, we have high standard B and C Class Roads, such as the B9097 at Vane Farm and the C484 Low Carse Road, where the favourable width and alignment results in higher speeds.

Conversely, there are other A Class roads on the local road network, such as the A924 at Pitlochry or the eastern section of the A984 at Coupar Angus, where the restricted width and poor alignment results in noticeably lower speeds. Most of our rural C and U Class roads have restricted widths and poor alignment ensuring vehicles speeds are always within the maximum permitted limit. Reducing the speed limit on these roads will show no noticeable decrease in vehicle speeds (as witnessed on our Green Routes).

Speed data

The traffic surveys recorded by Perth and Kinross Council and Scottish Safety Cameras indicate that, on the majority of roads studied, the mean and 85th percentile speeds for most vehicle categories are within the maximum permitted limit. The exception is heavy goods vehicles which are travelling, where the road layout permits, up to 50mph.

Mobile speed cameras are deployed via Scottish Safety Cameras as appropriate where road safety circumstances dictate. The A94 is enforced by the mobile speed cameras at various sites along the route due to poor turning and overtaking manoeuvres rather than excessive speeds. Lowering the speed limit is unlikely to reduce road traffic collisions at this or other locations.

Signage

If the speed limit on all rural roads is to be reduced to 50mph, then the current national speed limit signs (black diagonal line across a white circle de-restrictor signs) would remain in place. Information signs about the new speed limits may be required. If the reduced speed limit was to be installed on selected routes, such as all C and U Class roads, but not key transport routes, then signs would be required at all intersection points and, possibly, repeater signs on the minor roads for the lower limits. Given the extent of the rural road network in Perth and Kinross, this would be at significant cost. The current 20mph National Strategy being promoted by the Scottish Government will cost at least £200K for repeater signs alone.

Road safety partners

Transport Scotland's proposal has been discussed with our road safety partners at the Perth and Kinross Road Safety Forum, the Tayside Road Safety Forum and the Local Partnership Forum. The traffic survey and road traffic collision data from the neighbouring local rural roads authorities are similar to ours - (i) the majority of vehicles are travelling within or close to the maximum permitted limit and (ii) the majority of road traffic collisions are caused by multiple factors, primarily driver error, rather than just excessive vehicle speeds. On the trunk road network, the number of collisions is lower, but the severity is higher due to the higher vehicle speeds.

Police Scotland and Scottish Safety Cameras will continue to respond to community concerns and will enforce the speed limits, whatever the outcome of this review, resources permitting. Police Scotland have provided their own feedback and comments to Transport Scotland regarding the potential impact of the proposed speed limit settings. Scottish Safety Cameras will operate according to their operational case. As the primary role of the speed cameras is to reduce road casualties, their main deployment will continue to be at sites with a casualty history attributable to speeding.

The Council has been limited in how it can respond to some key aspects of the review due to a lack of data being provided, including projected journey times for rural communities in the event of speed reductions; changes to vehicle emissions and the effectiveness of a trial speed limit on single carriageway sections of the A9 Perth to Inverness.

Recommendations

These recommendations from the Council's Traffic & Network Team are based on current and proposed usage of our road network, and our experience with our local road safety partners. Individuals and organisations can submit their own opinions regarding speeding (actual or perceived) directly to Transport Scotland's consultation.

There is no objection to increasing the maximum permitted speed for goods vehicles exceeding 7.5T on the rural road network. This will bring the speed limit into line with England and Wales. On key transport routes, many HGV drivers are already travelling at this speed. On narrower roads, the poor alignment will continue to suppress the speeds of larger vehicles.

In addition, it is considered that the existing national speed limit is appropriate for un-restricted rural roads, and there is no advantage in reducing the speed limit for motor vehicles from 60mph to 50mph. It remains the driver's responsibility to drive at an appropriate speed for the road environment and weathers conditions up to the maximum permitted limit. The majority of drivers using the local road network currently employ this practice (as confirmed by our traffic survey data). Those drivers who choose to exceed the current speed limit are likely to continue this behaviour if the speed limit is changed. Better compliance can be achieved by education and enforcement rather than legislation.

Last modified on 12 March 2025