Scottish ministers are being urged to learn lessons from Wales’s introduction of a “lifesaving” default 20mph speed limit.
Green transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell made the plea after figures from Wales showed a drop in casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads in the first three months of 2024, after the lower default speed limit was introduced.
The number of cases of people being killed or seriously injured on roads with either a 20mph limit or a 30mph limit fell to 78 in the first three months of 2024 – a drop of 23% on the total of 101 that was recorded in the first three months of last year.
With Wales’s default limit applying mainly in residential and built-up areas, Mr Ruskell said: “Lower speeds save lives.
“There are people who are alive and well today thanks to Wales’s default 20mph limit. ”
The Green MSP had previously tried to introduce legislation for Scotland to reduce the default 30mph speed limit to 20mph – but this was voted down by Holyrood in 2019.
The then-transport secretary Michael Matheson said while the Scottish Government backed efforts to make roads safer, councils were “best placed” to use their local knowledge to decide where 20mph limits should be brought in.
But following the reduction in road casualties in Wales, Mr Ruskell urged the government in Scotland to act.
He said: “We need to learn from their experience and replicate its success across Scotland.
“Fundamentally it’s about safety and making our neighbourhoods more welcoming and accessible for all. ”
The Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Greens and the SNP included a commitment for all appropriate roads in built-up areas to have a 20mph limit by 2025 – and Mr Ruskell urged the Scottish Government not to backtrack on that commitment despite the collapse earlier this year of the powersharing deal.
He said: “We have already made really important progress across parts of the country, with life-saving 20mph defaults becoming more and more common, and it’s crucial that the Scottish Government supports councils to finish the job as soon as possible.”
The Green added: “We all benefit from safer streets, and a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas is a simple, quick and proven way to reduce road casualties.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government remains supportive of 20mph limits and continues to work with local authorities to promote their implementation on adjoining trunk roads where it is appropriate to do so.”
