20/20 vision to slow down city motorists

EDINBURGH is set to become a huge 20mph zone under radical new plans to cut accidents revealed today.

A 100,000 pilot scheme will see 25 miles of city roads stretching from Blackford Hill in the south to Holyrood Park hit with the new speed limit.

If the trial is successful, it could be extended across the city permanently.

• Do you agree with the introduction of more 20mph speed limits across the city's roads?

Edinburgh will become the first Scottish city to attempt the move and one of the first in the UK.

The police will be charged with enforcing the limit but it will not be accompanied by any new speed bumps or cameras.

Under the plans for the pilot, which look certain to prove controversial with motorists, several main routes will remain at 30mph but they may also be cut in the future.

City transport leader Councillor Gordon Mackenzie said the council had been inspired by the introduction of a similar scheme in Portsmouth and confirmed that the move could be rolled out city-wide.

He said: "In Portsmouth, there was a 15 per cent reduction in accidents resulting in injuries. The evidence is that it's largely self-policing and it appears to be a lot more cost-effective because instead of putting speed bumps on every street, you can target them on areas where there is a pattern of problems."

He added: "We've seen what's happened in Portsmouth and we know other cities in England are looking to introduce 20mph zones.

"The results are encouraging in terms of the reduction in accidents and the reduction of speed.

"There's no new speed bumps as a result of this scheme, but we can follow up with speed bumps where there is a particular concern."

The move is part of a range of measures including the Streets Ahead initiative, which is a new road safety partnership between the council, police, fire service and NHS Lothian. Council bosses hope the move will make streets safer, encouraging more people to cycle or walk, part of the council's long-term goal of reducing the number of cars on the Capital's roads.

There are currently 20mph limits on parts of roughly half of Edinburgh's streets, although they rely on traffic calming measures.

In the new zone, around 12 miles of major or secondary roads will remain as 30mph limits, including Melville Drive, Marchmont Road, Charterhall Road, Liberton Road, Gilmerton Road, Morningside Road and Home Street.

The city council said initial discussions with Lothian and Borders Police had led the force to indicate its "support in principle" for the scheme.

It is understood a report is set to go before the council's transport committee later this month and the new limit could be brought in by early next year if it gets the go-ahead.

Tried and tested

CHRIS MARSHALL

THE introduction of a city-wide 20mph zone in Portsmouth has been credited with driving down the number of road accidents in the city.

The council there spent around 475,000 introducing the scheme in six zones over a two-year period.

Earlier this year it won an award for the scheme at the National Transport Awards. But motoring groups criticised the new 20mph zones, saying drivers would spend more time concentrating on the speed limit than the road itself.

Mark McArthur-Christie, of the Association of British Drivers, said: "If you put in a large number of 20mph speed limits where the natural speed limit is higher you end up with a dangerous situation where drivers spend more time concentrating on the limit rather than concentrating on the road."