Funding for the 20mph speed limit roll out: FOI release

Information requested

1. In your formal response letter dated 02 December 2024 reference 202400439095 when responding to our Q1a you stated in your response thereto that "the Scottish Government has invested £4 million this fiscal year 2024-25 to fund targeted initiatives designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists through the roll out of 20 MPH speed limits.  Dumfries and Galloway Council has been provided with £215,280 pounds to support their 2024/25 20 MPH roll out".

a. Does this funding meet the financial request of the Scottish local authorities with respect to their projected 20mph implementation expenditure to 31st March 2025 or was it instead a round sum of the Scottish Government's own determination divided amongst the recipient local authorities according to population or by reference to the number of 20mph TTRO's the LAs were expected to be able to make in the financial year 2024/25 from the list of potentially eligible streets they had earlier been required to submit?

b.  Is this funding ring fenced exclusively for the implementation of measures supporting the national 20mph roll out?

c.  Does this funding require to be spent or otherwise legally committed by the recipient local authorities before the end of the current financial year? Can it be carried over?

d.  Have the local authorities made a funding request to the Scottish Government with respect to their projected 20 mph implementation expenditure to 31 March 2026?

e.  Do the recipient local authorities have absolute discretion as to where in their areas they choose to spend this 20mph financial allocation or has a programme of implementation been submitted/approved? (We are becoming deeply concerned at emerging  inconsistencies of 20mph roll out across our region.  In the Stewartry district of Dumfries and Galloway there is disappointing progress compared to other parts of the region. It bears no comparison to the street safety provision now extant in the Scottish Borders. We believe this inconsistency may well arise from a lack of fulsome political support among local councillors for 20mph safety initiatives for other than piecemeal provision in a few small communities on minor, lightly used routes i.e. not where the egregious traffic risks are being presented near constantly and emphasised by ongoing RTCs nor wide area in large centres of population.  Unless this changes it will result in a gross inequality of street traffic safety provision)

2. In your  formal response letter dated 02 December 2024 reference 202400439095 when responding to our Q3a you stated in the first paragraph of your response thereto that new guidance was published by the Scottish government in October 2024 with the intention of achieving a consistent approach to the introduction of the national implementation for 20 mph speed limits in Scotland and that this will replace all previous 20 mph guidance.

a.  Is this new guidance now in force and, if so, what was the date upon which it replaced all previous guidance and thus took effect?

b.  What is the legal status of this guidance?  Specifically may Transport Scotland or a local authority choose for any reason not to follow it?

c.  Please supply a copy of this latest guidance or send us a web link to it.

3. In your  formal response letter dated 02 December 2024 reference 202400439095 when responding to our Q3a you stated in the second paragraph of your response thereto that " the findings of Transport Scotland's assessments using the road assessment criteria have been shared with the relevent local authorities. Following a further consultation with Police Scotland and the local authority a decision will be taken on whether the 20 mph speed limit is appropriate in a specific location".

a.  Please supply a copy of Transport Scotland's assessments of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford against the relevant road assessment criteria which we presume is embodied within the new national guidance for the implementation of 20 MPH speed limits in Scotland.  If the road assessment criteria is contained in a separate document please supply a copy thereof or a web link thereto.

b.  On what date or dates was Transport Scotland's assessment of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford  shared with Dumfries and Galloway Council?

c.  What consultation has so far taken place with Police Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway Council in relation to Transport Scotland's assessment of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford? When did this consultation commence and when will it conclude?

d.  When and by whom will a final decision be made on whether the  A75 within Springholm and Crocketford is to be designated 20 miles per hour? 

e.  If it is determined that the speed limit of the A75 within Springholm is to be reduced to 20 miles per hour how quickly after that determination would a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order become operational?  What would be the duration of the TTRO?

4a. What is the timetable for Jacob's study of the bypass options for Crocketford and Springholm?

b. What opportunities will the public have to follow the study and to make their views known?

5. To what extent is Transport Scotland factoring in the designation of a Galloway National Park in terms of the ongoing resilience of local trunk route infrastructure to added tourism related traffic? (We oppose the GNP proposal because it would only add to the already intolerable blight of fast trunk route traffic in our village.)

Response

1. The Scottish Government has invested £4 million this fiscal year 2024-25 to fund targeted initiatives designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists through the roll out of 20 MPH speed limits. Dumfries and Galloway Council has been provided with £215,280 pounds to support their 2024/25 20 MPH roll out.

1a. Does this funding meet the financial request of the Scottish local authorities with respect to their projected 20mph implementation expenditure to 31st March 2025 or was it instead a round sum of the Scottish Government's own determination divided amongst the recipient local authorities according to population or by reference to the number of 20mph TTRO's the LAs were expected to be able to make in the financial year 2024/25 from the list of potentially eligible streets they had earlier been required to submit?

Response: Local authorities have developed their own plans designating their own streets and the required funding to aid their implementation of 20mph speed limits, with £4m being provided to 21 local authorities this financial year.

b. Is this funding ring fenced exclusively for the implementation of measures supporting the national 20mph roll out?

Response: The Scottish Government has made available £4m in 2024/25 to support local authorities who are ready to implement 20mph speed limits this financial year

c. Does this funding require to be spent or otherwise legally committed by the recipient local authorities before the end of the current financial year? Can it be carried over?

Response: The £4m is to support local authorities who are ready to implement 20mph speed limits this financial year. The expectation is that funding will not be carried forward into the next fiscal year.

d. Have the local authorities made a funding request to the Scottish Government with respect to their projected 20 mph implementation expenditure to 31 March 2026?

Response: The Scottish Budget is agreed on an annual basis, therefore no awards of multi-year funding is possible until the budget has been confirmed for that fiscal year. The funding request from local authorities for the 2025/26 financial year is anticipated to rise as the remaining local authorities accelerate their implementation efforts and deliver the commitment of 20mph on appropriate roads by end of 2025.

e. Do the recipient local authorities have absolute discretion as to where in their areas they choose to spend this 20mph financial allocation or has a programme of implementation been submitted/approved?

Response: local authorities are committed to meeting the 2025 deadline and have developed their own plans designating their own streets, which they have requested funding to implement 20mph speed limits. Transport Scotland has issued national guidance to support local authorities with the roll-out of 20mph speed limits on appropriate roads.

2. New guidance was published by the Scottish government in October 2024 with the intention of achieving a consistent approach to the introduction of the national implementation for 20 mph speed limits in Scotland and that this will replace all previous 20 mph guidance.

a. Is this new guidance now in force and, if so, what was the date upon which it replaced all previous guidance and thus took effect?

Response : New guidance was published by the Scottish government in October 2024.

b. What is the legal status of this guidance? Specifically may Transport Scotland or a local authority choose for any reason not to follow it?

Response : The Implementation guide to 20mph Speed Limits offers flexibility to road authorities on the setting of 20 mph speed limits that are right for the individual road, reflecting local needs and taking account of all local considerations.

c. Please supply a copy of this latest guidance or send us a web link to it.

Response: The Implementation Guide for 20 mph Speed Limits in Scotland | Transport Scotland

3. The findings of Transport Scotland's assessments using the road assessment criteria have been shared with the relevant local authorities. Following a further consultation with Police Scotland and the local authority a decision will be taken on whether the 20 mph speed limit is appropriate in a specific location.

a. Please supply a copy of Transport Scotland's assessments of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford against the relevant road assessment criteria which we presume is embodied within the new national guidance for the implementation of 20 MPH speed limits in Scotland. If the road assessment criteria is contained in a separate document please supply a copy thereof or a web link thereto.

Response: The details of the roads assessment criteria can be found here - The Road Assessment Criteria | Transport Scotland Please find a copy of the initial assessments for Crocketford and Springholm in Annex A

b. On what date or dates was Transport Scotland's assessment of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford shared with Dumfries and Galloway Council?

Response : The initial proposals, showing the sections proposed for 20mph, were sent to Dumfries and Galloway Council on 15 January 2024.

c. What consultation has so far taken place with Police Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway Council in relation to Transport Scotland's assessment of the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford? When did this consultation commence and when will it conclude?

Response : The initial proposals, showing the sections proposed for 20mph, were sent to Dumfries and Galloway Council on 15 January 2024.

Transport Scotland Officials met with Dumfries and Galloway Council on the 25 January 2024. This meeting was an initial meeting to discuss the preliminary proposals for all 20mph candidate sites in the Dumfries and Galloway area.

Further meetings have been held with Dumfries and Galloway Council to discuss other locations within the Dumfries and Galloway Council area but these meetings have not included discussion on Springholm and Crocketford.

The initial Transport Scotland assessments, including those for Springholm and Crocketford, were shared with Police Scotland on 9 February 2024. Further meetings have been held with Police Scotland to discuss other locations within the Dumfries and Galloway Council area but these meetings have not included discussion on Springholm and Crocketford. Consultation will continue with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Police Scotland to reflect the roll out of 20mph speed limits in this council area.

d. When and by whom will a final decision be made on whether the A75 within Springholm and Crocketford is to be designated 20 miles per hour?

Response : Transport Scotland will make the final decision on whether a 20mph speed limit is appropriate through Springholm and Crocketford following further consultation with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Police Scotland.

As noted in our previous response, The Scottish Government has committed to implement 20 mph speed limits on those roads where it is appropriate to do so by 2025. Transport Scotland is working to deliver 20mph speed limits on all appropriate Trunk Roads by the end of 2025.

e. If it is determined that the speed limit of the A75 within Springholm is to be reduced to 20 miles per hour how quickly after that determination would a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order become operational? What would be the duration of the TTRO?

Response : Scotland have a number of locations across the Trunk road network that have been assessed for 20mph limits. Transport Scotland are working through a programme coordinating as much as possible with Local Authority plans. As noted in our previous response, it is the intention that 20mph speed limits on the trunk road are introduced at the same time as those on the Local Authority’s roads. This will simplify installation, provide a consistent message to drivers and prevent the abortive work of signage being installed at junctions by the Local Authority before potentially being removed shortly afterwards by Transport Scotland, or vice versa. Timings will depend on resources within Transport Scotland, our operating company and Dumfries and Galloway Council. The duration of the TTRO would be 18 months.

4.a. What is the timetable for Jacob's study of the bypass options for Crocketford and Springholm?

Response : The study is expected to conclude by Spring 2027. In order to be of assistance, it is further explained that work on the study commenced in late November 2024 and work to determine a more detailed programme for the forthcoming design and assessment work is ongoing. Further information will be made available to members of the public and other stakeholders once this has been developed.

b. What opportunities will the public have to follow the study and to make their views known?

Response : Transport Scotland is committed to undertaking meaningful engagement with members of the public and other stakeholders throughout the design development and assessment process. We expect public and stakeholder engagement to commence in early 2025, with public engagement events planned to take place in the local area in the coming months. Furthermore, Transport Scotland’s project website will be regularly updated in order to provide members of the public and other stakeholders with information on the current status of the study.

5. To what extent is Transport Scotland factoring in the designation of a Galloway National Park in terms of the ongoing resilience of local trunk route infrastructure to added tourism related traffic? (We oppose the GNP proposal because it would only add to the already intolerable blight of fast trunk route traffic in our village.)

Response : Transport Scotland are monitoring the ongoing consultation on the proposed Galloway National Park and the potential impacts on the transport network. At present there is limited detail on the expected number of new or additional visitors and their expected mode of travel. Should the proposed national park be confirmed, Transport Scotland will work with the national park authority and stakeholders to ensure that where possible visitors to the park travel there by sustainable modes of transport.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.