A75 Springholm speed management and 20mph trunk routes programme 2025: EIR release

Information requested

We hereby make a formal request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) or alternative applicable environmental legislation for Transport Scotland to provide us with the information requested below within the statutory time limit.

We wish to know the following:

In your FOISA response dated 29 July 2025 (reference 202500473913) and Annex O thereof Transport Scotland set out the revised timetable for the implementation of 20mph speed limits on trunk route streets across Scotland. We attach Annex O for ease of reference. Therein 20mph Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders were timetabled for completion before now for the following trunk route communities:

• Stranraer A75/A77 31/072025 delayed/postponed?
• Biggar A702 30/06/2025 completed
• Dumfries A701 01/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Minishant A77 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Cairnryan A77 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Methven A85 21/07/2025 completed
• St Fillans A85 21/07/2025 completed
• Crianlarich A85 01/08/2025 completed
• Strathyre A84 01/08/2025 completed
• Crimond A90 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Fraserburgh A90 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Largs A78 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Fairlie A78 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Kilwinning A737/A738 21/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Skelmorlie/Wemyss Bay A78 31/07/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Ballantrae A77 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Girvan A77 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Inverary A83 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Lochgilphead A83 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Tarbert A83 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Campbelltown A83 29/08/2025 delayed/postponed?
• Ardrishaig A83 29/08/2025. delayed/postponed?

Only 5 out of the foregoing 22 locations appear to have been completed as we can find no evidence of any 20mph road traffic orders having been made by Transport Scotland in implementation of the remaining 17. If this remains the case then it is becoming an extremely disappointing and troubling expanding list of delayed/postponed delivery of trunk route 20mph limits and bodes ill for the delivery of the desperately needed 20mph limits for the A75 at Crocketford and Springholm timetabled for 28 November 2025. This suggests that the Scottish Government's target of 20mph on all appropriate roads is going to be yet another abject policy delivery miss because aside from the trunk route streets our Dumfries and Galloway Council has yet to deliver 20mph to a vast number of its managed streets identified as meeting the national criteria for reduction from 30mph to 20mph.

1. Have any of the other trunk route 20mph proposals listed at Annex O for completion by now been delivered?

2. In each instance where a 20mph proposal set out in Annex O referred to above remains to be competed may we have details of the extent of any preparatory works so far done for each?

3a. In the case of 20mph proposals listed for completion in Annex O which are behind scheduled delivery please state the reasons for this slippage and any actions being taken to expedite delivery and also to prevent similar delays arising with respect to the remainder of the 20mph proposals to be completed by 28 November 2025.

3b. If Annex O has been revised we wish to have the programme version now in force.

4a. Please provide details of the extent of collabortive actions taken to date with Dumfries and Galloway Council to co-ordinate the delivery of wide area 20mph limits as was done in Langholm in respect of the following trunk route communities in Dumfries and Galloway:

• Stranraer A75/A77
• Dumfries A701
• Cairnryan A77
• Sanquhar A76
• Kirkconnell A76
• Thornhill A76
• Carronbridge A76
• Crocketford A75
• Springholm A75

4b. What contingency plans does Transport Scotland have to address the scenario where eligible local authority side streets connected these trunk routes are not being progessed to 20mph at the same time as Transport Scotland has programmed implementation?

4c. Specifically does any ongoing failure of a local authorty to advance its own 20mph delivery on eligible side streets connecting with an above listed trunk road effectively put Transport Scotland's own 20mph delivery in similar jeopardy given that Annex O specifically cites the potential for timetable "change" (delay/postponement by any other name) arising from co-ordination with local authorities? It would be a highly perverse outcome if Dumfries and Galloway Council's delay or indeed total failure to deliver 20mph to a cul de sac or minor street such as Cameronian Place in Springholm adjoining the A75 were to jeopardise enhanced 20mph protection for those in vastly greater harm's way as users or frontagers exposed to the highly dangerous international trunk road main street traffic under Transport Scotland's exclusive control which continues to experience devastating run off RTCs destroying traffic calming installations and roadside boundary features.

4d. Was the importance of co-ordination of 20 delivery in communities with both trunk routes and council controlled 20mph eligible connecting side side streets factored into the 20mph delivery financial assistance given to the Council for the current financial year to ensure the prospect of programmed delivery for the trunk route streets?

5. We annex details submitted by Dumfries and Galloway Council to Transport Scotland setting out all council controlled roads categorised against the national criteria for 20mph implementation. We understand from a Council committee report made in April 2025 that the Council 30mph and 20mph speed limits details submitted could be broken down as follows: The region has 595 roads that will remain at 20mph. • The region has 109 roads that will remain at 30mph. • The region has 2051 roads that are deemed appropriate to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph. This is 74.5% of all 30mph roads in the region.

We wish to know the following:

5a. Does Transport Scotland have any system in place to monitor Dumfries and Galloway Council's progress in delivering 20mph speed limits to the 2051 roads that the Council deemed appropriate against national  criteria to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph in its list submitted to Transport Scotland around two years ago?

5b. What financial support has been made available to Dumfries and Galloway Council specifically to assist it to deliver 20mph speed limits to the roads that the Council deemed appropriate to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph? We seek the full terms and conditions of any such grant award. We are particularly wishing to determine by this information request if this financial support has been linked to a specific timetable identifying individual streets or communities for Council 20mph delivery and whether such offer of financial assistance would fall to be treated as unspent and be incapable of carry forward to subsequent financial years if specific delivery actions were not timeously achieved.

We have reason to believe the financial support for the year 2025/26 may be up to £835,000. Clearly support of this magnitude should achieve far more 20mph delivery than just Langholm which so far into the funding period stands as the council's sole 20mph roll out achievement this financial year which is even more disappointing in our eyes than Transport Scotland's late running record to date.

5c. Given all the accumulating roll out delays and vast numbers of eligible streets still to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph is Transport Scotland planning to delete references to a 2025 target from its webpages as this policy initiative appears set on current progress to become a fictional aim unsupported by robust measures to deliver it in this timescale?

5d. Given Transport Scotland's increasingly delayed 20mph trunk route delivery timetable is it the case that at the end of 2025 the national 20mph policy will be considered ended or is there already a contingency plan/revised target/budget in development to maintain ongoing delivery for eligible roads in 2026 and also to support local councils to do so with their now inevitable 20mph roll out backlogs?

5e. Have discussions been initiated with councils with respect to delivery of 20mph limits post current funding?

We wish to record that a road safety initiative to advance to Vision Zero left half done serves to create gross and indefensible inequalities of street traffic safety provision with the biggest losers being the vulnerable in needlessly elevated levels of potential harm or death on or beside trunk route streets remaining at 30mph. It also signals to drivers that such a lack of enhanced safety provision is likely to be intentional for their benefit so they may then think its fine to drive along trunk route streets accordingly regardless of Highway Code hierarchy of duty of care and tje proximity of the vulnerable. The trunk route streets should all have been an absolute early delivery priority. As ever Springholm and Crocketford are left at the back of the road safety queue. These two trunk route streets remain twinned with peril and jeopardy around the clock on Transport Scotland's watch. Frankly this year the traffic flow speeds looks set to end as they have been ever since we began lobbying Transport Scotland for robust protection well over a decade ago. The only change here is ever more traffic in tandem with a decreasing chance of speeding enforcement.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

For ease, I have repeated each question, retaining your numbering.

Q1. Have any of the other trunk route 20mph proposals listed at Annex O for completion by now been delivered?

A1. Yes. As of 12 September 2025, the date of this FOI request, Biggar, Methven, St Fillans, Crianlarich and Strathyre now have a TTRO in place.

Q2. In each instance where a 20mph proposal set out in Annex O referred to above remains to be competed may we have details of the extent of any preparatory works so far done for each? 

A2. Transport Scotland is preparing the documentation for relevant temporary traffic orders. Transport Scotland has instructed the operating companies to design the proposed 20mph schemes to suit the programme. Civil engineering works are currently taking place in various locations pending the making of orders.

Q3a. In the case of 20mph proposals listed for completion in Annex O which are behind scheduled delivery please state the reasons for this slippage and any actions being taken to expedite delivery and also to prevent similar delays arising with respect to the remainder of the 20mph proposals to be completed by 28 November 2025.

A3a. As noted in Annex O, from FOI (reference 202500473913) the programme may be subject to change due to the coordination of works with local authorities and resource availability within the Operating Company and their sub-contractors to implement the works.

Q3b. If Annex O has been revised we wish to have the programme version now in force. 

A3b. Please find attached Annex A to this response detailing the revised programme at 12 September 2025, the date of this FOI request.

Q4a. Please provide details of the extent of collaborative actions taken to date with Dumfries and Galloway Council to co-ordinate the delivery of wide area 20mph limits as was done in Langholm in respect of the following trunk route communities in Dumfries and Galloway:

• Stranraer A75/A77
• Dumfries A701
• Cairnryan A77
• Sanquhar A76
• Kirkconnell A76
• Thornhill A76
• Carronbridge A76
• Crocketford A75
• Springholm A75

A4a. Since the inception of this project, Transport Scotland has worked collaboratively with colleagues at Dumfries and Galloway Council.

It is the intention that wherever possible, for any given location, 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.

Q4b. What contingency plans does Transport Scotland have to address the scenario where eligible local authority side streets connected these trunk routes are not being progressed to 20mph at the  same time as Transport Scotland has programmed implementation?

A4b. Only in exceptional circumstances Transport Scotland will consider implementing and signing a 20mph speed limit on the trunk road in advance this happening on the adjacent local side roads.

It is the intention that wherever possible, for any given location, 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.

Q4c. Specifically does any ongoing failure of a local authority to advance its own 20mph delivery on eligible side streets connecting with an above listed trunk road effectively put Transport Scotland's own 20mph delivery in similar jeopardy given that Annex O specifically cites the potential for timetable "change" (delay/postponement by any other name) arising from co-ordination with local authorities? It would be a highly perverse outcome if Dumfries and Galloway Council's delay or indeed total failure to deliver 20mph to a cul de sac or minor street such as Cameronian Place in Springholm adjoining the A75 were to jeopardise enhanced 20mph protection for those in vastly greater harm's way as users or frontagers exposed to the highly dangerous international trunk road main street traffic under Transport Scotland's exclusive control which continues to experience devastating run off RTCs destroying traffic calming installations and roadside boundary features.

A4c. No.

Q4d. Was the importance of co-ordination of 20 delivery in communities with both trunk routes and council controlled 20mph eligible connecting side side streets factored into the 20mph delivery financial assistance given to the Council for the current financial year to ensure the prospect of programmed delivery for the trunk route streets?

A4d. As noted above it is the intention that wherever possible, for any given location, 20mph speed limits on the trunk road are introduced at the same time as those on the Local Authority’s roads. Only in exceptional circumstances Transport Scotland will consider implementing and signing a 20mph speed limit on the trunk road in advance this happening on the adjacent local side roads.

5. We annex details submitted by Dumfries and Galloway Council to Transport Scotland setting out all council controlled roads categorised against the national criteria for 20mph implementation. We understand from a Council committee report made in April 2025 that the Council 30mph and 20mph speed limits details submitted could be broken down as follows: The region has 595 roads that will remain at 20mph. • The region has 109 roads that will remain at 30mph. • The region has 2051 roads that are deemed appropriate to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph. This is 74.5% of all 30mph roads in the region.

We wish to know the following:

Q5a. Does Transport Scotland have any system in place to monitor Dumfries and Galloway Council's progress in delivering 20mph speed limits to the 2051 roads that the Council deemed appropriate against national criteria to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph in its list submitted to Transport Scotland around two years ago?

A5a. Transport Scotland Officials continue to have regular contact with Dumfries and Galloway Council on the implementation of 20 mph speed limits within their area. During these meetings we discuss their programme for delivery, funding as well as challenges and risks to delivery.

Q5b. What financial support has been made available to Dumfries and Galloway Council specifically to assist it to deliver 20mph speed limits to the roads that the Council deemed appropriate to have their speed limits reduced to 20mph? We seek the full terms and conditions of any such grant award. We are particularly wishing to determine by this information request if this financial support has been linked to a specific timetable identifying individual streets or communities for Council 20mph delivery and whether such offer of financial assistance would fall to be treated as unspent and be incapable of carry forward to subsequent financial years if specific delivery actions were not timeously achieved. We have reason to believe the financial support for the year 2025/26 may be up to £835,000. Clearly support of this magnitude should achieve far more 20mph delivery than just Langholm which so far into the funding period stands as the council's sole 20mph roll out achievement this financial year which is even more disappointing in our eyes than Transport Scotland's late running record to date.

A5b. £835,000 has been allocated to support Dumfries and Galloway Council this financial year rollout 20 mph speed limits. Funding is unable to be carried forward to next financial year if unspent.

The main objectives/expected outcomes of the Grant are:

• Completion of detailed design and appropriate engagement.
• Tender process to appoint a contractor.
• Implementation of scheme - advertise TTRO and site works.
• After 18 months, advertise the permanent TRO.

The targets/milestones against which progress in achieving objectives/expected outcomes shall be monitored are:

• Quarter 1 - E&I Committee approval for Public Ream Capital 'Speed Limits and Traffic Calming' Programme, Preliminary design work and temporary traffic data surveys,
• Quarter 2 - Brief and Contract Strategy for 20mph Implementation Contract work package, issue tender documents for external resource,
• Quarter 3 - Appoint external resource for 20mph Implementation Contract, commence prelim designs, engagement, traffic data surveys and detailed design,
• Quarter 4 - Tender packages for implementation, prepare/ advertise Temporary TROs, appoint contractors, then implement 20mph schemes.

Please see Annex B to this response.

Q5c. Given all the accumulating roll out delays and vast numbers of eligible streets still to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph is Transport Scotland planning to delete references to a 2025 target from its web pages as this policy initiative appears set on current progress to become a fictional aim unsupported by robust measures to deliver it in this timescale?

A5c. As outlined in the Programme for Government published on 6 May 2025, the Scottish Government is committed to making our roads safer and reducing the numbers killed or injured, through delivery of 20 mph speed limits on appropriate roads by the end 2025-26 and of road safety funding for road authorities.

Q5d. Given Transport Scotland's increasingly delayed 20mph trunk route delivery timetable is it the case that at the end of 2025 the national 20mph policy will be considered ended or is there already a contingency plan/revised target/budget in development to maintain ongoing delivery for eligible roads in 2026 and also to support local councils to do so with their now inevitable 20mph roll out backlogs?

A5d. Funding has been committed until 31 March 2026 to support with the rollout of our national strategy for 20 mph speed limits in Scotland. Future funding will require to be assessed in line with the Scottish budget allocation.

Q5e. Have discussions been initiated with councils with respect to delivery of 20mph limits post current funding?

We wish to record that a road safety initiative to advance to Vision Zero left half done serves to create gross and indefensible inequalities of street traffic safety provision with the biggest losers being the vulnerable in needlessly elevated levels of potential harm or death on or beside trunk route streets remaining at 30mph. It also signals to drivers that such a lack of enhanced safety provision is likely to be intentional for their benefit so they may then think its fine to drive along trunk route streets accordingly regardless of Highway Code hierarchy of duty of care and tje proximity of the vulnerable. The trunk route streets should all have been an absolute early delivery priority. As ever Springholm and Crocketford are left at the back of the road safety queue. These two trunk route streets remain twinned with peril and jeopardy around the clock on Transport Scotland's watch. Frankly this year the traffic flow speeds looks set to end as they have been ever since we began lobbying Transport Scotland for robust protection well over a decade ago. The only change here is ever more traffic in tandem with a decreasing chance of speeding enforcement.

A5e. We continue to engage actively with all local authorities on their programme for delivery, funding as well as challenges and risks to delivery.

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.

FOI 202500484568 - Information released - Annex A and Annex B

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