The Scottish Government has announced £14 million in funding to enhance road safety for this financial year. The cash will be distributed among Scotland’s 32 councils and includes £4 million for the rollout of 20mph speed limits.
Transport Scotland stated that the 20mph initiative is ‘specifically designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists at key locations across Scotland’. It has also published an Implementation Guide to help support the rollout.
This comes after Transport for Wales hailed the success of its 20mph speed limit last year. In September 2023, Wales became the first UK country to reduce default speed limits in built-up areas from 30mph to 20mph. Welsh ministers later reported that average road speeds had dropped by 4mph since the rollout.
Assessment criteria include whether the road is within 100 metres of any educational setting, or an area of public interest such as a community centre, place of worship, sports facility, play park, or health centre.
The remaining £10 million allocated to Scotland’s local roads will be funnelled through the Road Safety Improvement Fund (RSIF), which aims to support critical safety schemes. Meanwhile, an additional £18 million has been issued for overall road safety funding for the country.
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s Transport Secretary, said: “Road safety is a top priority for the Scottish Government, which is why we are making a record investment of £36m this financial year toward initiatives that reduce road casualties.
“This £14m [local] investment underlines our commitment to supporting our road safety partners to implement schemes that protect the public. I’m pleased to see all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities receive this support as we work toward our ambitious safety goals.
“The release of our 20mph Implementation Guide will help local authorities introduce lower speed limits consistently across Scotland, creating safer streets for everyone. Our goal of making Scotland’s roads the safest in the world by 2030 is unwavering.”
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