20mph speed blitz gets the green light

EDINBURGH is set to become Scotland’s first 20mph city after council chiefs gave the go-ahead for a major overhaul of speed limits this summer.

Around 80 per cent of streets across the entire capital will be covered by the new speed limit, costing £2.2million.

The city is following in the footsteps of Oxford, York, Bath and Bristol, while other towns and cities across Scotland are expected to adopt their own schemes.

The Scottish Government supports lower speed limits in ‘residential areas, near schools and in areas where there is a high volume of pedestrian or cycling activity’.

Glasgow is introducing a much smaller 20mph zone in the city centre this year, and pilot projects on A-roads are also being rolled out across the country.

Edinburgh transport leader Lesley Hinds said: ‘Introducing 20mph in residential streets, shopping areas and the city centre will undoubtedly improve safety.’

The scheme will be implemented in six phases over 24 months, with the entire capital set to be covered by the 20mph limit by February 2018.

Motoring bodies argue that drivers find themselves watching their speedometers rather than focusing on busy urban surroundings

According to recent Scotland-wide figures, the number of accidents in 20mph zones causing injury rose by 76 per cent between 2009 and 2013, amid fears they give pedestrians a false sense of security.