Perthshire Green Route network is set to grow

Four more routes have been added to Perth and Kinross’Green Route network.

Councillors at Wednesday’s environment and infrastructure committee meeting agreed plans to add the new routes to the council’s scheme.

The routes between Bridge of Earn and Glenfarg, Glenfarg and Milnathort, Rattray and Alyth and Kirkton Road/ Old Mill Road and Ashgrove Road/West Mill Farm in Rattray have all been added to the network.

These roads will all have enforced 30mph or 40mph speed limits to make them more friendly to cyclists.

This will increase the number of Green Route roads in Perthshire to 32 since its introduction in 2013, with Kinross-shire, Strathmore and the Carse of Gowrie making up the majority of the routes.

Councillors welcomed the proposal, admitting that it would only boost the local authority’s Climate Change Act performance, discussed earlier at the meeting and featured elsewhere in today’s PA.

SNP group leader councillor Dave Doogan was pleased to see the network grow again, however he did ask if one road could have its speed limit lowered even further.

He said:“Driving along Kirkton Road at anything over 15mph is ambitious.

“I know it has been lowered from 60mph to 40mph, but why not 30mph?”

Council officers explained that they would be happy to consider it and that it would likely be brought up in a public consultation.

Cllr Willie Robertson was the first to heap praise onto council officers for the success of the Green Routes, with substitute Cllr Lewis Simpson and convener Cllr Colin Stewart joining in on behalf of Coupar Angus.

Cllr Stewart added:“I have heard great things from the Strathmore Cycle Network and I have nothing but praise for this.”

Despite one public objection, the report was agreed unanimously.