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Speed Limits Set to Be Slashed

Posted on: Thursday, 9 March 2006, 21:00 CST

By Alan Roden Transport Reporter

SPEED limits on four Edinburgh streets are set to be cut following a city-wide review of major roads.

The council has carried out an in-depth study of drivers' behaviour and the number of accidents on all roads with speed restrictions of 40mph or above.

As a result, motorists crossing Braid Hills Drive will have to slow down from 60mph to 50mph under the proposals, as well as on Riccarton Mains Road between the Hermiston park-and-ride and Currie, and the A89 between Newbridge and West Lothian.

The speed limit on Frogston Road East, in the south of Edinburgh, will be reduced from 60mph to 40mph.

The council treats each road on a case-by-case basis, analysing average speeds and accidents. It aims to have a restriction only slightly higher than the average speed, so drivers travelling faster than the norm must slow down.

According to the study, of the 21 roads operating with a 40mph speed restriction in Edinburgh, the average speed of drivers on eight of them exceeded the speed limit - but only by small margins, so none of these will change.

The council specifically monitored Telford Road following complaints from residents but could not find enough evidence to reduce the 40mph limit.

Councillor Andrew Burns, the city's transport leader, said: "On the back of two motions by [Conservative] councillors Alastair Paisley and Iain Whyte, officials decided to review all 40mph roads and above in the city. Several limits were found to be no longer appropriate and they will be changed."

The development of the Hermiston park-and-ride has already led to the speed limit north of Heriot Watt roundabout on Riccarton Mains Road being reduced to 40mph, and the rest of the road to Currie will now be cut to 50mph. Six reported accidents took place on this stretch between May 2002 and April 2005, but local Tory councillor Alastair Paisley said: "Local residents wanted this stretch of road reduced to 40mph, so they will be disappointed and I will be objecting to these plans."

On Braid Hills Drive, regularly used by drivers travelling from Liberton to Morningside, there have been accidents close to the built-up areas at each end, where 30mph zones are in place. To reduce speeds between these sections, the limit will be cut to 50mph. Average speeds on nearby Frogston Road East are far lower - around 35mph - and therefore the council aims to bring in a more sensible 40mph limit.

The city-wide study was kick-started by a decision in February 2003 to examine speeds on Telford Road, championed by Tory council leader Iain Whyte.

However, while the subsequent investigation discovered there were 22 accidents on the street between May 2002 and April last year, most of these took place at junctions and were not therefore related to speed.

Officials have recommended keeping the existing 40mph limit, but Cllr Whyte said: "This will come as a disappointment to local residents."

The Labour executive on the council will discuss the proposals at a meeting next Tuesday.

* Drivers face road bans after two speeding offences under a new motoring penalty shake up.

Currently speeders get three points on their licence regardless of how fast they are going, which means they have to commit at least four offences to be disqualified.

But under new proposals, which passed a major Commons hurdle last night, those who break speed limits by many miles an hour will face six points which means that two serious offences could see them lose their licence.

Source: Evening News; Edinburgh (UK)

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