Transport Scotland is to stage a series of in-person engagement events on slashing the national speed limit by 10mph on single carriageways for cars and vans while raising it for HGVs by 10mph.
They are part of an ongoing consultation on proposed changes to speed limits in Scotland as part of the National Speed Management Review to ensure speed limits are “appropriate and contribute to reducing injury and death on our roads”.
The proposals are to lower the national speed limit on single carriageway roads from 60 mph to 50 mph while for goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes it is proposed that it would increase by 10mph.
That means HGVs on single carriageways would move from 40 mph to 50 mph and on dual carriageways from 50 mph to 60mph.
The online consultation has been open since November 27 and has already received over 8700 responses but now there will be a series of in person events taking place across Scotland in January and February.
Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Road safety is a priority for the Scottish Government and we remain absolutely committed to working towards our ambitious goal of making Scotland’s roads the safest in the world by 2030.
“We have already had a huge response to the online consultation, and these events will enable people to learn more about the proposed changes. It’s also really important that we hear views from the public and stakeholders.
“Evidence from the National Speed Management Review indicates that revising speed limits could lead to a significant reduction in the number of injury collisions on our roads while maintaining journey times and enhancing journey time reliability.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to engage with the consultation so far, and hope people will take the opportunity to attend these sessions.”
The events in the Highlands are as follows:
Thursday 23 January (3pm to 7pm)
• Pitlochry Town Hall, W Moulin Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5EA
Thursday 30 January (3pm to 7pm)
• Ullapool Village Hall, Ullapool, IV26 2XE
Tuesday 4 February (3pm to 7pm)
• Elgin Community Centre, Trinity Rd, Elgin, IV30 1UE
Wednesday 5 February (3pm to 7pm)
• WASPS Inverness Creative Academy, Midmills Building, Stephens Street, Inverness, IV2 3JP
Thursday 6 February (3pm to 7pm)
• Longmore Community Hall, Banff Road, Keith, AB55 5HA