Executive summary

Background

Transport Scotland commissioned WSP UK and Ireland Limited (WSP) to support the delivery of the public consultation for the National Speed Management Review (NSMR).

The purpose of the consultation was to gather views from stakeholders and the public on the proposed changes to speed limits contained within the review. The consultation launched on 27 November 2024 and closed on 5 March 2025 and a total of 19,584 responses were received. The feedback has been analysed, and the key findings are included in this Executive Summary, with the full findings provided within the main body of this Statement of Community Involvement (SoCI) report. This SoCI will be provided to Transport Scotland to inform their decision making.

This SoCI provides an understanding of the rationale behind the consultation, its background, and the community engagement process. It includes information on the context of the consultation, details of the proposal, the engagement process and materials used, consultation methodology and a summary of the feedback received.

Public engagement

On 27 November 2024, Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport launched the NSMR consultation at the Road Expo Scotland Conference. Transport Scotland also promoted the consultation through geographically targeted social media activity, issuing local and national press releases, and writing to elected members, local community councils and stakeholders. 

To provide sufficient information about the proposals and create a direct and accessible line of contact for questions to be asked by the public and stakeholders, Transport Scotland held 26 in-person events in locations around Scotland, and two online events. The in-person engagement event locations were selected to ensure broad geographic representation across Scotland, balancing accessibility and engagement with logistical considerations. The online engagement events were scheduled to ensure those who could not attend the in-person events still had the opportunity to hear more about the proposals to inform their response to the consultation.

Feedback channels

In order to enable consultees to take part, Transport Scotland provided an NSMR consultation questionnaire that was available across a variety of forms to allow stakeholders to provide a response to the consultation via a method that suited them:

  • an online NSMR Consultation questionnaire which was accessible via Citizen Space: National Speed Management Review - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space.
  • paper copies of the NSMR Consultation questionnaire which were available at each in-person event.
  • downloadable copy of the online NSMR Consultation questionnaire available on Citizen Space; and emailing or posting this directly to Transport Scotland.
  • sending a response in free form such as a letter or email.

Key findings

Findings from an analysis of the NSMR Consultation responses are included in Appendix H. Key findings relate to the reduction in single carriageway national speed limits, raising the speed limit for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes on single carriageways and dual carriageways, enforcement of a reduced national speed limit and behaviour change.

Reduction in the national speed limit

  • Most respondents (77%) felt that the current national speed limit of 60mph on single carriageway roads was about right.
    • Of those who responded as organisations, 71% thought the current national speed limit was about right.
  • Nine out of 10 respondents did not think that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would address national casualty reduction targets.
    • Of those who responded as organisations, two out of three did not think that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageways would address national casualty reduction targets.
  • When asked about the potential impacts of a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads, respondents said that most impacts would not change. Where they did think there would be a change in impact:
    • 89% of respondents thought that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would make driver frustration a lot worse (79%) or slightly worse (10%). Of those who responded as organisations, 71% thought the change would make driver frustration a lot worse or slightly worse.
    • 89% of respondents thought that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would make journey times a lot worse (79%) or slightly worse (10%). Of those who responded as organisations, 79% thought the change would make journey times a lot worse or slightly worse.

Raising the speed limit for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes

  • Most respondents felt the current speed limit on single carriageway roads for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) was about right (60%), 39% thought it was too low.
    • Of those who responded as organisations, they felt the speed limit for HGVs on dual carriageways was too low (57%) or about right (37%).
  • Respondents thought the current speed limit for HGVs on dual carriageways roads was either about right (47%) or too low (47%).
    • Of those who responded as organisations, they felt the speed limit for HGVs on dual carriageways was too low (49%) or about right (45%).
  • When asked about the potential impacts of an increase in the HGV speed limit on single carriageway roads, respondents said that most impacts would not change. Where they did think there would be a change in impact:
    • 56% of respondents thought that an increase in the HGV limit would improve driver frustration a lot (29%) or improve driver frustration slightly (27%)
    • 57% of respondents thought that an increase in the HGV limit would improve journey time a lot (22%) or improve journey time slightly (35%).
  • When asked about the potential impacts of an increase in the HGV speed limit on dual carriageway roads, respondents said that most impacts would not change. Where they did think there would be a change in impact:
    • 57% of respondents thought that an increase in the HGV limit would improve driver frustration a lot (30%) or improve driver frustration slightly (27%)
    • 59% of respondents thought that an increase in the HGV limit would improve journey time a lot (24%) or improve journey time slightly (35%).

Enforcement of a reduced national speed limit

  • When asked if current enforcement measures should remain in place if the national speed limit was reduced on single carriageway roads, 51% of respondents answered no, 34% of respondents answered yes and 15% were unsure.
    • Of those who responded as organisations, 50% answered yes.
  • When asked what additional measures the Scottish Government could implement to support a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads, respondents mentioned increased police presence and more speed cameras. Respondents also suggested tougher penalties for speeding or dangerous driving and emphasised driver education as key. These suggestions were often framed as alternative actions to be taken instead of reducing the national speed limit.

Behaviour change

  • Most respondents were very unlikely (79%) to use active travel options if the national speed limit on single carriageway roads was reduced.
  • When asked if a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would encourage them to use public transport more, most respondents answered that they do not use public transport (56%). For the remaining 44% that did use it, they would use public transport the same amount (59%) or less often (33%). These answers reflected themes arising from open text data around the lack of availability of public transport in rural areas, and the sense that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would have a disproportionate impact on those living in rural areas.
  • Most respondents (85%) stated that a reduction in the national speed limit on single carriageway roads would not change their driving frequency.