New 20mph speed limit in 17 Caithness villages will make communities safer
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A series of new 20mph speed limits will be put in place across Caithness in what has been described as "a step forward" for road safety in the county.
The plans are part of a wider pilot scheme which Highland Council is taking part in, and this week the extent of the 17 approved schemes in the county were made public.
Ron Gunn, the chairman of the council's Caithness committee and a representative of the Thurso and Northwest Caithness ward, said the move should help road safety and encourage people to do more walking and cycling.
The 17 local areas which have been approved by Transport Scotland for the reduced speed limit are: Ackergill, Bower, Canisbay, Castletown, Dunbeath, Dunnet, Halkirk, Keiss, Latheronwheel, Lybster, Papigoe, Reay, Reiss, Scrabster, Staxigoe, Thrumster and Watten.
A further 16 are in Sutherland, including Bettyhill, Durness, Helmsdale, Portskerra and Tongue. In total, over 100 sites in the Highlands will be part of the initiative.
"Road safety is the main reason why this is being introduced and to encourage safer communities. If you lower the speed limit you will make it safer for children going back and fore to school and for the elderly as well. It could encourage more walking and cycling as well if the traffic is slower and that would have health benefits."
It is also hoped the 20mph speed limit could cut pollution.
Mr Gunn said: "It is a step forward on safety grounds and is a good move. Pedestrians have a better chance of surviving an accident if they are hit at 20mph compared to 30 or 40mph."
He pointed out there are a number of areas in Caithness where concerns have been raised about speeding vehicles and felt they could benefit from the initiative but he stressed the 20mph reduced limit would need to be policed. "Once it is introduced, there would need to be a police presence to get people used to it," he stated.
Mr Gunn said the 20mph scheme should slow traffic down and benefit communities. He is pleased the public will now get a chance to view the locations for themselves on the Highland Council website by visiting www.highland.gov.uk/20mph then selected the relevant area.
The new 20mph speed limits were also welcomed by councillor Ken Gowans, who chairs the economy and infrastructure committee. He said: "Reducing speed on our roads helps to create a safer, more pleasant environment, encouraging people to walk, wheel and cycle and enjoy spending time in their communities. In addition, it is expected that environmental and air quality benefits will be realised if safer road conditions result in increased levels of walking and cycling."
He added: "The road safety benefits will be felt in each one of these 116 communities with their residents, including children accessing schools and play spaces, and pedestrians and cyclists accessing local amenities, including shops and community centres, doing so in a safer and more pleasant road environment."
All costs of the roll-out of the new speed limits will be fully funded by Transport Scotland, including arrangements to carry out post implementation speed surveys to evaluate the new 20mph and inform decision-making on the design and permanency of the reduced limits.
The next stage is the timetabling of the works required to introduce the new speed limits in the various areas, with the first delivery date expected for June.
