Improves our Health and Wellbeing

There are three outcomes under the Improves our Health and Wellbeing priority:

  • Will be safe and secure for all;
  • Will enable us to make healthy travel choices; and,
  • Will help make our communities great places to live

Over the fourth Delivery Plan period:

  • We will assist Scotland’s 32 local authorities in enhancing road safety across the local road network, through the Road Safety Improvement Fund, to support critical safety schemes focused on lowering risks and reducing casualties on local roads. This is in addition to supporting the delivery of 20 mph speed limit schemes across Scotland, where appropriate. The delivery of these schemes is expected to enhance safety on active travel journeys that present a road safety risk to pedestrians and cyclists.
  • We will remain committed to our core trunk road casualty programme of work, investigating personal injury accident clusters and stretches of roads with higher accident rates, and implementing identified engineering measures, as appropriate. Rural junction improvements, bend treatments, barrier works, interactive signs and proactive risk removal activity is on-going across the network.
  • We will progress work to introduce 20mph limits on all appropriate roads across the trunk road network by 2025, as part of the Programme for Government commitment.
  • We will invest over £7.5 million in the Safety Camera Programme in 2024-25, rising to £7.7 million in 2025-26. Working in partnership with Police Scotland and all 33 road authorities, the programme aims to improve driver behaviour by deploying targeted enforcement in locations with evidence of both speed and injury collisions.
  • We will conclude and take forward the results of the public consultation to gather views on proposed changes to speed limits in Scotland. This review is aimed at enhancing road safety, which aligns with Scotland’s ambitious road safety goals.
  • We will provide the newly published Implementation Guide for 20 mph Speed Limits in Scotland to local authorities. This will ensure a consistent and effective approach to implementing 20mph limits, fostering safer environments in communities across the country.
  • We will work with key stakeholders and partners to implement the Road Safety framework to 2030.
  • We will remain dedicated to making it easier for people to walk, wheel or cycle on everyday journeys. Through capital investment in active and sustainable travel, we will continue to deliver infrastructure projects through our new tiered delivery model, which sees more direct funding available for local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Parks. Through our People and Place programme, we will also deliver a range of behaviour change interventions to support people with the skills, knowledge and access to use more sustainable forms of travel, and contribute to a reduction in car use.
  • We will deploy digital technologies to modernise services, including launching the first version of a personalised digital health and social care service which, over five years, will provide digital notifications, access to personal health information, and options for interacting online with health and social care services. This could reduce pressure on the transport network by eliminating the need to travel for certain appointments.
  • The Scottish Government will take forward work to implement the commitments in the Transport to Health Delivery Plan, published in October 2024. Commitments include supporting Regional Transport Partnerships to develop their own plans around Transport to Health, and to consider incorporating transport information into digital sources, including the NHS inform and Traveline apps.
  • We will develop and deliver the next Transportation Noise Action plan to prioritise the management of transport noise, respect our environment, and contribute to health, wellbeing, and sustainable economic growth.
  • We will consider sanctions and further measures for introduction to ensure that the small number of incidences of serious anti-social behaviour on buses can be dealt with appropriately.
  • We will take forward actions from research we commissioned on the safety of women and girls. For instance, ScotRail are looking into expanding the Travel Safe Team established in 2023. This is made up of police officers and supervisors who engage with customers and staff to identify issues and carry out targeted engagements.