Edinburgh begins phase two of 20mph limit roll-out

The 20mph speed limit has been rolled out across further roads in Edinburgh. The new restrictions are now in place on roads across north and south central/east Edinburgh including Holyrood Park marking phase two of the city council’s road safety project.

The first 20mph zone went live in the city centre and rural-west Edinburgh on 31 July 2016, with Police Scotland enforcing the new legal limits. So far 18 people have either been charged, issued a fixed penalty ticket or reported to the Procurator Fiscal. 

??While retaining a network of arterial routes at 30mph and 40mph, the project extends 20mph speed limits to about 80% of Edinburgh’s streets. Around 50% of the Scottish capital's roads already had a 20mph limit prior to the roll-out.

Transport coordinator Lesley Hinds said: “We're bringing in 20mph limits for city centre, residential and shopping streets in Edinburgh after in-depth public consultation showed support for slower speeds in the capital.

“While understandably it's taken a bit of time for everyone to get used to the new limits, public opinion is still clearly very much in favour, as evidenced by the recent poll in a local newspaper showing more than two thirds of respondents backing 20mph.  

“The 30mph default limit in the UK dates all the way back to the 1930s, when there were far fewer vehicles on our roads. Like Edinburgh, swathes of cities and towns across the UK, Europe and beyond are now embracing 20mph - or 30kmph - as the optimum speed limit for their communities, encouraging active travel, improving road safety and generally making places more attractive to spend time in.”

Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “We encourage all local authorities in Scotland to introduce 20mph zones or limits in residential areas and areas of towns and cities with a high volume of pedestrians and cyclists where appropriate, as can be seen in Edinburgh and in line with the Scottish Government’s 2015 Good Practice Guide on 20mph Speed Restrictions.”

Find out more about Edinburgh’s road safety project at Ready for 20 taking place in Birmingham next week.