The Scottish Government has dropped its own proposal to reduce the national speed limits on single-carriageway routes from 60mph to 50mph, but said it would progress plans to increase HGV speed limits.
After announcing that the single carriageway plans would not be taken forward, ministers pledged that 'further work will be undertaken to continue to analyse the impact on road casualties and journey times of a speed limit change on different standards of single carriageways'.
The news came after the National Speed Management Review public consultation, which received over 19,500 responses.
It found a lack of support for reducing the national speed limit: 77% (15,126) felt the current limit for cars and motorcycles on single-carriageway roads 'is about right', while 18% of respondents (3,539) thought the speed limit was too low and only 4% (836) felt it was too high.
When it came to the national speed limits for cars and motorbikes on dual carriageway roads, only 1% said they thought it was too high.
For HGVs, the proposal was to increase the speed limits from 40 mph to 50 mph on single carriageways and 50 mph to 60 mph on dual carriageways.
The Government did not find a majority in favour of increasing the speed limit, but it did record significantly more support than for reducing the national speed limit for cars and motorbikes.
On single-carriageway roads, 47% (9,226) thought the speed limit for HGVs was 'about right'; while 47% (9,161) said the current HGV limit was too low; 3% (637) thought the current limit was too high, while 2% (486) were unsure.
On dual carriageways, 54% (10,617) thought the speed limit for HGVs was about right; 41% said it was too low (7,959) and 2% (476) thought it was too high.
'Work will be undertaken to progress steps to increase speed limits on single and dual carriageways for [HGVs]. This change aims to reduce the speed differential between HGVs and other vehicles, helping to reduce driver frustration and improve journey time reliability,' the Scottish Government said.
Officials added that the legal and technical processes required will involve ministers 'making an affirmative Scottish Statutory Instrument which would amend Schedule 6 of the 1984 [Roads (Scotland)] Act in relation to Scotland only'.
The necessary legal and legislative steps are being taken to introduce this change, subject to parliamentary time following the Scottish Parliamentary Election.
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's roads safer.'
