50mph Speed Limits on Single Carriageways Being Discussed

Transport Scotland is looking at proposals that could see the speed limit on all single-carriageway roads reduced from 60mph, to 50mph.

As it stands at the moment, this is purely an idea, although it’s been reported that the change will be put out for consultation, meaning the public and business stakeholders will be able to share their views on the idea.

The theory behind the change is not so much to slow down motorbikes and cars, but instead to reduce the speed differential between slower moving vehicles, such as trucks over 7.5 tonnes, and those vehicles which can travel up to 60mph. Currently, trucks and lorries over 7.5 tonnes are limited to 40mph on single-carriageway roads, this proposal would raise the limit for trucks to 50mph. Conversely, cars, motorcycles, trucks and vans under 7.5 tonnes, will be pegged back to 50mph, reducing the speed limit in this instance by 10mph.

And it’s not just single-carriageway roads that would be speed-adjusted based on weight and size. Transport Scotland is looking at a blanket 60mph speed limit on any dual carriageways. Like England, some two-lane roads with a central reservation in Scotland are pegged at the national speed limit which is 70mph unless signage advises differently. It’s worth noting that this proposal is in addition to the changing of speed limits on single-carriageway routes.

The proposals from Transport Scotland come around a year after Wales introduced a 20mph speed limit on around three-quarters of its road network, including rural routes. That move was widely ridiculed by road users, and in April 2024, the Welsh Transport Secretary, Ken Skates, backtracked on the move and increased the speed limit once more.

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