Transport Scotland 20mph speed limit roll out Dumfries and Galloway: FOI release

Information requested

1. What assurances have the council given, if any, that they are now on track to coordinate with the TTRO implementation dates set out in Annex A referred to above?

2. In your FOISA response dated 02 December 2025 and Annex F thereof, Transport Scotland shared a document titled "POSSIBLE 20mph SPEED LIMITS WITHIN COMMUNITIES".

a. We wish to know the orgin/authorship of this document. Specifically was it povided to Transport Scotland by the Council or was it composed by Transport Scotland in an attempt to set out a tabulated progress document for all eligible Council led 20mph community roll outs funded or potentially to be funded by Scottish Government grant(s)?

​​​​​​​b. On initial reading of this document it was immediately apparent to us, based on current local knowledge of most of Dumfries, that it is materially inaccurate/misleading with respect to the principal town in the region which in point of fact sadly stands as a very poor example of council 20mph wide area prioritisation based on settlement size. It is anything but meriting green colour coding as an accomplished fact. Aside from ramdom side street 20mph zone/limits made piecemeal over the years the only wide area 20mph traffic order extant at this time is the TRO made for Dumfries town centre in 2022. Documents recovered from the Council under FOI and indeed committee reports make it plain​​​​​​​ that extending to the rest of the town, an extensive network of national criteria qualifying streets, remains an aspiration with delivery provisionally set for 31 March 2026. From our dealings with the Council in regard to their 20mph roll out programme we have formed the view that everything must be cross checked and verified with no presumption of accuracy or benefit of the doubt. We wish to know whether Transport Scotland intend to simply rely upon Council progess statements or whether there will be conclusive verification via scrutiny of Council published TTROs and associated maps against the lists of qualifying streets submitted earlier to Transport Scotland.​​​​​​​

c. Will Transport Scotland be seeking verification of Council delivery of 20mph to all streets previously scored and submitted as eligible under national criteria or statements of reason(s) why 20mph in now considered inappropriate for those subsequently remaining at 30mph?

​​​​​​​d. To date we have seen no statement of reasons for excluding any 30mph streets in our region and indeed so far have no such enquiry to raise. However as an issue of principle/procedure is this a matter upon which the public have any established entitlement to be informed or right to information about the basis for excluding residents on a particular street from getting 20mph protection?

​​​​​​​3. If the trunk route 20mph delivery programme timetable has been revised since 04 November 2025 we wish to have the programme version now in force as close as practicable to the date of responding to this FOI.

​​​​​​​4. If available, we would like the Springholm A75 traffic counter speed data in the usual weekly by hourly speed bin mph format along with 85th percentiles from the date when the pavement replacement works were completed to a date as close as practicable to the date of responding to this FOI so we may compare the beneficial speed reduction undoubtedly being delivered by the new 20mph speed limit live from 28 November 2025. We enclose past sample of the format we previously received. The eqivalent detail will suffice.

​​​​​​​5.
a. Does the £650,000 grant award document referred to above still represent the full contractual terms under which the council is receiving specific grant funding from the Scottish Government to deliver the agreed Speed Limits and Traffic Calming Programme 2025/26? If not we request Transport Scotland to provide us with any superseding or additional documents forming part of the overall funding terms and conditions applying to the grant of £650,000.

​​​​​​​b. We request copies of the Council's quarterly reports, if any, so far made to Scottish Ministers on the progress of the Project/Programme.

​​​​​​​c. We request copies of any revisions to targets/milestones against which progress in achieving objectives/outcomes are monitored.

​​​​​​​d. We request details of the amounts, if any, of grant so far released to /drawn down by the Council for the Project/Programme.

​​​​​​​e. Is the council so far considered by Transport Scotland to be on track to deliver the Project/Programme within the current financial year and to draw down the full £650,000 offer grant? If not please explain when a non delivery forecast was communicated to Scottish Ministers or has otherwise been identified independently?

​​​​​​​6. In Transport Scotland's Implementation Guide for 20mph limits in Scotland the following is stated: "Gateway treatments at entrances to towns and villages
Gateways are devices used to mark a threshold – usually to a village or higher risk location on the road – where lower speeds are required from drivers. Gateways rely on highly visible vertical treatments to capture driver/rider attention and usually include: large signs conveying the message that it is an entry to a location where pedestrians and other vulnerable road users are about to be encountered in greater numbers; pavement markings to narrow the perceived width of the carriageway, including painted central medians, for a short distance at least; large speed limit signs showing the lower speed limit that applies;other pavement markings to indicate clearly that a threshold is being crossed into a different environment"

​​​​​​​Given this guidance we are somewhat surprised and disapppointed at the relatively modest size of Springholm's new 20mph gateway round signs; they do not meet our expectation of "large".This is an international trunk route used by many time pressed long distance HGV drivers nearly all of whom drive some 25% or more above their class speed limit whenever the open road traffic allows it which is much of the time most of the length of the A75. It has been easy for us to film with radar numerous of them over their class limit going through Springholm. Under TSRGD 2016 these 20mph entrance signs are well below the largest size currently permitted in conjuction with the 40mph buffer as according to our reading of the regulations 750mm diameter is permitted up to 40mph - a size we would term "large", so why have Amey not used best visibility per the aforementioned guidance in the interest of ensuring maximum driver awareness of the immediate need to reduce speed at the gateway, not well inside when the VAS flashes 20mph slow down due to excess speed? We also ask the same question in respect of the 40mph buffer commencement signs of similar modest proportions.

Response

​​​​​I enclose a copy of all the information you requested.

Response 1: Transport Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway Council (D&G) have been working together to try and coordinate the implementation of the TTROs in settlements on the trunk road.

D&G have based the roll out of the 20mph speed limits on their local roads based on the size of population of the settlement, prioritising larger towns and villages first. However, where possible, D&G have brought forward the implementation of 20mph speed limits to match the trunk road programme, for example Springholm.

Transport Scotland and D&G have agreed to co-ordinate the delivery of the 20mph speed limit on the trunk and local roads in Carronbridge currently programmed for implementation on 6 February 2026.

Transport Scotland will implement the 20mph speed limits on the trunk road in Sanquhar, Kirkconnel and Thornhill ahead of D&G. These currently are programmed to be completed by the end of March 2026 with D&G implementing their 20’s later in 2026.

Response 2a: This document was provided by Dumfries and Galloway Council to Transport Scotland.

Response 2b: Transport Scotland will monitor the progress made by Dumfries and Galloway from reporting from the local authority.

Response 2c: Update on delivery will be provided to Transport Scotland. Should any locations be determined to remain at 30mph, this would be a matter for the local authority based on their own local knowledge.

Response 2d: This would be a matter for Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Response 3: Attached please see Annex A.

Response 4: Please see Annex C-S - speed data for the four sites SH1, SH2, SH3 and SH4 from 13 October 2025 to 9 December 2025.

Please find below a key to the site location/directional information presented in the data.

SH1 – West Gateway, 50m East of Barr of Spottes Road, adjacent to eastbound VAS
SH2 – Centre of Village at bus stop
SH3 – Beech House
SH4 – East Gateway. Adjacent to Westbound VAS for signals
Channel/Direction 1 – Eastbound
Channel/Direction 2 – Westbound
Channel 3 & 4 are not used

Notes:

There is no data from site SH2 as this has been offline since 13/10/2025 until 7/1/2026 due to a fault that occurred during the footway works.

Site SH3 is missing data from 21-27 Oct due to battery failures. Engineer support changed batteries on both occasions within a week to resolve the issue.

The average speed reported in Annexes C, D, E, I, J, N, O and P has been calculated including the ‘0’ figures listed in the U/C column and is therefore not representative.

Response 5a: The terms and conditions of the grant being provided to Dumfries and Galloway Council are still correct.

Response 5b: Attached please see Annex B.

Whilst we aim to provide the information wherever possible, some of the information in the attached Annex B has been redacted in line with the following FOISA exemptions:

Section 38(1)(b) – Personal data relating to third party

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, ie names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

Response 5c: Information provided as part of previous request, released 2 December 2025.

Response 5d: £0.00 has been released to / drawn down by Dumfries and Galloway Council in 2025/2026.

Response 5e: Dumfries and Galloway Council provided a revised delivery programme to Transport Scotland on 9 October 2025. This is estimated to be delivered by 31 March 2025 and Transport Scotland officials are in discussion with Dumfries and Galloway Council officers to explore options to support accelerated delivery.

Response 6: Our Operating Company Amey have confirmed that the 750mm diameter signs at the gateway between the national and 40mph speed limits and the 600mm diameter signs at the gateway between the 40mph and 20mph speed limits are designed in line with Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions and Traffic Signs Manual.

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 202500497407 - Information Released - Annex

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