Go-slow gets green light

A £100,000 pilot scheme to cut drivers' speed in Edinburgh to 20mph has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

About 25 miles of Edinburgh's roads, from Arthur's Seat to Blackford Hill, are to be covered by the 20mph limit. There will be 12 miles of major roads within the area which will retain the 30mph limit.

If the pilot is successful it will be rolled out across the city. In a separate move "gas guzzler" car owners are to be charged more for parking outside their homes.

The proposal will create a sliding scale of charges for residents' permits according to their vehicle's CO2 emissions.

It will see parking permit charges slashed to as little as 25 a year for the least polluting vehicles and doubled to 320 for the most polluting.