Scots motorists driven 'round the bend' by faulty LED road signs
Scots motorists are being driven "round the bend" as a result of LED road signs requiring repairs more than 1,400 times in the last four years.
Official figures show there are 313 variable message signs (VMS) deployed on Scotland's road network, including 56 on the M90, 48 on the M74, 25 on the M80, 21 on the M8 and 20 on the A9.
These signs required 1,419 fault repairs between January 2021 and March 2025 - meaning the average sign had to be fixed 4.5 times in four years.
Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene, whose party uncovered the figures, said it was up to Transport Scotland to "set out what benefits these signs provide and whether they think they are providing good value for money".
But the government quango insisted the majority of incidents were automatically generated faults which do not affect the operation of VMS.
Greene said: "Traffic drives people round the bend. There's no worse feeling than having a holiday or a commute disrupted by road works, repairs or long tailbacks.
"Scotland has invested heavily in measures like LED signs to keep road users safe and informed. Unfortunately these signs seem to be prone to breakdowns of their own.
"We asked how much these signs cost to install and repair and Transport Scotland were unable to answer. High tech solutions are all well and good but perhaps Transport Scotland should set out what benefits these signs provide and whether they think they are providing good value for money."
A Transport Scotland spokesman said the faults would have been addressed while carrying out routine cyclic maintenance of the equipment.
They added: "Faults are to be expected given the nature of electrical equipment at the roadside. We have strong contracts in place to ensure close monitoring and timely and effective repair where this is required.
"We are also continuing the delivery of annual programmes of investment to replace roadside technology, including variable message signs, on a prioritised basis."
Transport Scotland said it used a range of modern "Intelligent Transport Systems, such as VMS, to process and distribute real time information about the current state of the motorway and trunk road network, helping road users to plan their journeys.
The quango's website said: "It works around the clock, every day of the year collecting up to date information and working with operational partners such as the police and our Operating Companies to reduce disruption caused by incidents.
"This is particularly important during extreme weather conditions when we have to convene the Multi Agency Response Team to ensure the resilience of the road network and to help transmit up to date information to the public and other stakeholders.
"Our focus is to minimise the effects of congestion, breakdowns and unforeseen events on the trunk road network. Our aim is to keep Scotland moving."
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