Scotland's 20mph roll-out suffers blow

A national roll-out of 20mph speed limits in Scotland has suffered a blow after a key committee refused to recommend the bill.

A majority of MSPs on Holyrood’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee agreed not to recommend approval of the Restricted Roads bill, which proposes the introduction of 20mph zones for all restricted roads across Scotland.

These are generally residential streets and minor roads in both rural and urban areas. The bill would change the default from 30mph to 20mph.

The committee argued that the one-size fits all approach was unsuitable and there were a range of hidden costs.

Costs that weren’t fully recognised included the costs of assessments on roads which would be affected, certain legal costs and the unspecified number of restricted roads that would be subject to the Bill’s proposals and the cost incurred in trying to establish the number.

It was reported that the cost of an awareness campaign after the implementation of the zones would be significantly higher than what was estimated within the Bill

The bill is still due to go to the Scottish Parliament from 13 June.

Highways has approached the Scottish National Party for comment.