Agenda item

Consider report by Director, Infrastructure & Environment.

10.1       With reference to paragraph 12 of the Minute of 27 August 2020, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Director Infrastructure and Environment providing a review of the Spaces for People 20mph trial and proposing which roads within Scottish Borders settlements should remain at 20mph; which should revert back to 30mph; and which should be set at 40mph.   The report explained that the Sustrans funded Spaces for People 20mph trial had been in place since October 2020, where all roads with a 30mph speed limit were reduced to 20mph.  During that time Edinburgh Napier University’s Transport Research Institute had carried out an independent evaluation of the trial from 125 survey sites over 97 settlements.  This evaluation concluded that vehicle speeds had reduced in almost all settlements, in some instances by 6mph, with an average reduction closer to 3mph.  As part of the 20mph trial, Council Officers had also convened an evaluation group consisting of representatives from Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SUSTRANS, Edinburgh Napier University, Road Safety Auditors as well as officers from East Lothian, West Lothian, Dumfries and Galloway, Highland, Shetland and Argyll and Bute Councils who had shown keen interest in the ongoing trial.  The original aim of the trial was to make active travel, i.e. walking and cycling, more attractive to residents as the restrictions resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic eased.  This was extremely challenging to measure and as the trial had progressed Transport Scotland had  published its delivery plan for their road safety framework which stated that “we will ensure all appropriate roads in built up areas have a safer speed limit of 20 mph by 2025”. 

10.2       Officers had met with Local Members and there appeared to be a general consensus, with some site specific reservations, to retain all settlements at 20mph with some limited 30mph and 40mph speed limit buffers as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.  These 30mph buffers were recommended where it was particularly ‘painful’ to drive at 20mph taking into account the surrounding environs, for instance where there were not an abundance of houses on both sides of the road and it was not immediately apparent to drivers why 20mph was the appropriate speed.  In these scenarios, compliance tended to be poor and could be to the detriment of the overall ethos of lower limits.  A public consultation had been held via Citizens Space and all responses had been considered.  Members discussed the report and paid tribute to Ms Gilhooly and her team for their work on this project.  Councillor Bell, seconded by Councillor Laing, moved that an additional recommendation (d) be added to read “acknowledges that appropriate street furniture and additional traffic calming measures lead to self-enforcing driver compliance with speed limits, and endorses officer intentions to continue to support such improvements” to help encourage further speed limit reductions.  Councillor McAteer, seconded by Councillor Marshall, moved as an amendment that recommendations (a) to (c) be replaced with ““that Members note the progress made by officers and that officers further analyse the views expressed by those who participated in the Citizen Space Survey and bring a report to Council that represents those views, specifically identifying locations in settlements of Scottish Borders Council where 20mph limits are proposed to be introduced” as he considered the views of the people in his Ward had not been fully addressed by the proposals.  Members unanimously accepted the amendment proposed by Councillor Bell.

              Vote

              Councillor Edgar, seconded by Councillor Rowley, moved approval of the report with the addition of Councillor Bell’s amendment.

              Councillor McAteer, seconded by Councillor Marshall, moved as an amendment that recommendations (a) to (c) be replaced with ““that Members note the progress made by officers and that officers further analyse the views expressed by those who participated in the Citizen Space Survey and bring a report to Council that represents those views, specifically identifying locations in settlements of Scottish Borders Council where 20mph limits are proposed to be introduced”

              Motion by Councillor Edgar                -           26 Votes

              Amendment by Councillor McAteer   -           5 votes

              The Motion was unanimously carried.

10.4       Councillor Rowley commented on the abuse directed against Ms Gilhooly and her team on Social Media which officers should not have to face.  Councillor Haslam supported this view and asked that the unacceptable nature of such comments should be recorded.  The Convener formally thanked Ms Gilhooly and her team. 

DECISION

AGREED to:-

(a)     approve the suggestion to move to a position where 20 mph is the default  speed limit within settlements in the Scottish Borders;

(b)     approve limited 30mph exceptions as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report;

(c)     approve the changes for 40mph speed limits as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report; and

(d)     acknowledge that appropriate street furniture and additional traffic calming measures lead to self-enforcing driver compliance with speed limits, and endorse officer intentions to continue to support such improvements;

(e)     unanimously condemn the unacceptable comments on social media aimed at Ms Gilhooly and her team.