Small inconvenience of 20mph limit is a price worth paying - Steve Cardownie

It seems that our citizens remain to be convinced that such an extension is desirable with the recent survey indicating that we have reached the end of the road with the current scheme. Having put the question out for public consultation by the council, Councillor Scott Arthur, the city transport convener, was surprised by the result. With 57.7 per cent of respondents replying that enough is enough he said that the consultation response, “isn’t really what I expected”. Adding disconsolately, “I thought there would have been broader support”.

That the introduction of 20mph Zones has made our roads safer is not in doubt, with a drop of 30 per cent in road casualties since their introduction in 2018. But the prediction from previous market research that there was an “appetite for wider application” would appear to be wide of the mark if this survey is anything to go by.

However, any extension would only increase the percentage of streets covered by the 20mph limit by 4 per cent, from 86 to 90 per cent. So, it’s probably safe to deduce from the result that some residents have taken the opportunity to pass verdict on the scheme as it currently stands given that the expansion is minimal.

Just a few months ago the Welsh Government introduced a 20mph default limit on restricted roads throughout the country sating that: “Restricted roads are usually located in residential and built-up areas where there are lots of people. They often have streetlights on them, placed no more than 200 yards apart.”

This change was made in an effort to: “reduce the number of collisions and severe injuries from them, encourage more people to walk and cycle in our communities, help to improve our health and well-being, make our streets safer and safeguard the environment for future generations.”

Scotland is to follow Wales’s lead as Transport Scotland has gone on record in their national strategy, stating that default 20mph limits will be rolled out to every road in built-up areas across Scotland by the year 2025. So, all Councillor Arthur has to do is be patient and he’ll probably achieve his goal.

I am a proponent of the 20mph speed limit mainly because of the impact they have on road deaths and injuries. Latest figures from Transport Scotland revealed that 174 people lost their lives on Scotland’s roads last year and in Edinburgh in 2018, 56 children were reported killed or seriously injured on the city’s roads helping to make up a total of 125 casualties that year alone – five of whom were killed.

Surely these are statistics that should concern us all, but it looks like there is still work to do to convince people that the small inconvenience of not travelling above 20mph is a price worth paying if it reduces serious injuries and saves lives.

I was unfortunate to witness the aftermath of a road accident which left a pedestrian dead in the road, and I do not wish to repeat the experience – 20mph Zones have a part to play in making sure that I don’t!