Highlands Green MSP welcomes news that local authority is to be involved in a 20mph pilot scheme
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A NORTH MSP has welcomed the news that Highland Council is to be involved in a 20mph pilot scheme. Ariane Burgess, the Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, is pleased Transport Scotland has invited the local authority to take part in the National 20 mph Implementation Strategy.
She said: "I’m delighted that Highland Council is being considered for this scheme. The Scottish Government agreement between the Greens and the SNP is clear that all appropriate roads in built up areas will have a safer speed limit of 20 mph by 2025. Introducing a default 20mph speed limit in residential areas across Scotland is the simplest, quickest and cheapest way to reduce casualties and save lives."
Ms Burgess said taking part in the pilot scheme will see direct funding coming to Highland Council to implement the plans and demonstrate that "rural communities as well as urban ones deserve to have safer streets."
"As well as reducing air pollution, we know that the faster people drive, the greater the risk of accidents, and the more off-putting it is for people to walk and cycle. Cars dominate our streets far too much already and we won’t achieve the significant changes we need to our transport emissions without levelling the playing field between pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and drivers."
Suitability assessments are currently being carried out across 130 sites around the council area ahead of the roll out of 20 mph speed limits to communities across the Highlands by summer 2023. The assessments are taking place where speed limits of 30mph or below already exist.
As reported previously plans to expand a 20mph speed limit in the Highlands as part of the pilot scheme have received a mixed reception in the far north.
Ron Gunn, a local councillor and chairman of the Caithness Committee, welcomed the extension but roads campaigner Iain Gregory expressed some reservations about the proposal.
A report on the programme was presented at Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee yesterday ( November 10), which updated members on the work that the Council’s Road Safety Team are doing to prepare for the 20 mph roll out.
