City’s last 40mph limits to switch to 30mph in summer after Covid delay New speed restrictions to be introduced within months
The last remaining 40mph speed limits on Edinburgh’s road network will be reduced to 30mph this summer – two years later than was initially hoped.
The council said new speed restrictions on some of the city’s busiest roads would be introduced within months, as it unveiled its road safety delivery plan for 2024 to 2025. Lanark Road, Queensferry Road and Comiston Road are among 21 locations set for a 10mph drop as part of the £300,000 safety scheme.
It comes more than four years after the plans were first approved, with councillors agreeing to the changes in February 2020 when it was estimated they would take up to 18 months to take effect. However, a report noted at the time that delays “can occur” and the following month the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown was announced.
With the statutory traffic regulation order (TRO) process now completed, a report has confirmed work to install new signage is expected to start in “summer 2024”. A detailed timeline has not yet been published.
Transport bosses hope reducing the Capital’s remaining 40mph roads to 30mph will help to “create environments that encourage active travel” and “provide a road network that is safe for all road users”.
Meanwhile, plans to roll out more 20mph speed limits across Edinburgh are set to go before councillors later this year. Streets in this programme could include London Road, Ferry Road, Portobello Road and those with a ‘significant role for walking and cycling’.
20mph speed limits adjacent to all schools in the city are also being considered
However public opinion appears to be divided. Council research showed 57.7 per cent of over 4,000 questionnaire respondents and 31.36 per cent of those surveyed for market research thought there should be no increase in the number of 20mph roads at all. Lothian Buses also expressed concerns about the impact the changes would have on journey times and timetabling.
A report said officers are considering the scope of the additional speed limit reduction programme, will engage with bus operators, and plan to bring forward a more detailed programme later in the year. 20mph speed limits adjacent to all schools in the city are also being considered.