Motorists in Scotland are suffering as a result of faulty variable message signs that have required repairing 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, says the Daily Record.

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”.

However, Transport Scotland 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.

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