MSP Edward Mountain slams Highland Council over 20mph limits after it lost public support by not concentrating on high risk areas
A Highland MSP has hit out at Highland Council’s approach to the new 20mph limits which he says deviates from the “spirit” of the original Transport Bill by losing public support.
A final decision on temporary 20mph limits in built-up areas across the Highlands is due tomorrow if councillors give a traffic road order (TRO).
The council’s implementation of the temporary speed limit appears for many to have been excessive leading more than 50 per cent to reject the proposal.
Officials then talked down the number of responses to their own consultation while arguing the 43 per cent who are supportive is unusually high.
But 50.7 per cent remains higher than 43 per cent so it was argued that “few people who are supportive of [traffic road] orders engage in the consultation process”.
MSP Edward Mountain believes that is the wrong approach because the original Bill sought a targeted approach to high risk areas – something that does have broad support.
"At the committee stage of the Transport Bill in 2019 the issue of a blanket 20mph speed limit was discussed,” he explained.
“Some members of the committee favoured a country-wide speed limit of 20mph in built up areas and we were put under quite a lot of pressure to agree to it.
“But the clear majority of the committee favoured a targeted approach of 20mph in high risk areas.
“The reasons why included the belief that if councils targeted the limits in critical areas that they would have public support.
“The Highland Council’s implementation of the 20mph limit seems to fly in the face of the aims that were enacted by the Transport Act as passed by the Parliament.
“The public response to the Highland Council’s consultation proves that as the council did not act in the spirit of the original policy they have lost the support of the public.
"There are a number of sensible objections to this proposal and they should be seriously considered."
The Scottish Government wants to reduce speed limits in built-up areas to cut the chances of collisions. As so-called early adopters, all costs of the roll out by the council will be fully funded by Transport Scotland.
But despite this being effectively cost free for the council, not everyone is convinced that the 20mph limits have been introduced in the best or most appropriate places.
