Whether it will support moves to reduce the speed limit on single carriageway rural roads from 60mph to 50mph and, if so, when it expects t…

Inappropriate and excessive speed is a major cause of death and injury on the roads. The Scottish Government is keen to encourage initiatives to cut speed, particularly near schools and in residential areas. However, we consider that local authorities are best placed to consider where and when to introduce a lower speed limit on local roads, taking local factors such as road width, terrain and use by vulnerable road users into consideration.
Guidance to local authorities on setting local speed limits was issued in 2006. Local authorities have been asked to review the speed limits on all A and B class roads in their areas by 2011 in accordance with the guidance. Local authorities already have the power to set speed limits lower than the national speed limit on local roads in their areas if they consider this to be appropriate.
National speed limits are reserved to the UK Government. The Department for Transport considered including a proposal to reduce the national speed limit on rural single carriageway roads from 60 mph to 50 mph in its consultation for a new UK road safety strategy post-2010. In the event they did not pursue this idea.