Orkney councillors back 20mph speed limit changes

Close vote sees Orkney councillors back adoption of 20mph speed limits for the county’s built-up areas

Many of Orkney’s 30mph speed limits are to become 20mph, after a majority of councillors on a committee backed the changes today.

A new traffic order will be implemented in Orkney’s built-up areas, including Kirkwall and Stromness, as well as in many smaller villages and those on the outer islands.

The new speed limits are expected to be in place by March next year.

Members of the council’s Development & Infrastructure Committee met this morning to discuss the proposals.

While they were backed, there was a close vote over the controversial issue.

Seven councillors on the committee voted in favour of the changes, while five voted against.

Those in favour believe the changes will make the county safer, particularly for children and the elderly.

However, those against said there is a lack of data to support the idea that Orkney needs to reduce speed limits.

Officers from the council’s roads department said the changes are proactive rather than reactive.

The committee was given delegated powers to make the traffic order, meaning the proposals can go ahead and won’t have to go to full council.

However, all councillors had a chance to be heard today as those not on the committee were invited to attend and speak during the meeting.

These proposals are not unique to Orkney.

They are part of Scottish Government plans to implement 20mph speed limits, where appropriate, across the country.

Roads past schools, hospitals and other public services and those in built-up housing areas are under review by councils.

The justification is to make streets safer while encouraging walking, wheeling and cycling.

Some areas in Scotland have already made the changes, ahead of Orkney.

Such changes were seen in Wales but proved controversial, with some of the changes being walked back – something not lost on Orkney’s councillors this morning.

Many aspects of the proposals were questioned at today’s meeting – from the associated costs to enforcement and whether there is any need for the speed limit reductions.

However, committee member councillor Rachael King spoke in favour of the changes.

She said that 10 years of being a councillor, listening to the public, had led her to support the widespread adoption of 20mph zones.

She pointed to Orkney’s ageing population as a supporting reason, saying the county will increasingly have an older population who may not be able to drive, may use mobility scooters, and, in general, move more slowly.

“There is a desire for children to learn to cycle on the county’s roads,” she said.

Another reason she gave was the change in traffic being seen in Orkney, as larger vehicles are now passing through communities than in the past.

She said: “We’re looking at trying to create a sense of place where people feel they want to move around and enjoy.

“I hear a desire from people to shift the balance away from places that are dominated by vehicles.

“Let’s shift it back a little to places that we can move around as a community, to being the places for all generations”.

On the other hand, committee member Duncan Tullock stated that there is insufficient data to support the speed limit changes.

He said: “We have a complete lack of any relevant data for any of the roads in Orkney.

“We have no information on traffic numbers, no average speed in any of the areas, no relevant accident information.

“It’s all very well giving figures for London and Edinburgh. These have no bearing whatsoever on the roads here in Orkney and the frequency of their use”.

Mr Tullock said the changes were being implemented in a “broad brush” way.

He said: “We can see in the public’s response to the consultation that there are areas that require 20mph limits, such as schools.

Mr Tullock also claimed the public opinion is against the changes and asked if the council is “going to ignore this” to “please the Scottish Government”.

He lodged an amendment, stating the council should not adopt the 20mph changes.

While this was supported by four other committee members, it fell at the vote.

Council leader Heather Woodbridge was another who spoke in favour of more 20mph zones.

She said there is a “much more compelling” argument to reduce speeds than against.

She said: “This will be a period of adjustment. There will be some annoyance, but you get used to change.

“Not all change is bad.”

Councillor John Ross Scott said he felt the changes didn’t go far enough, saying all roads in Orkney’s towns and villages should be 20mph.

Ahead of today’s meeting, rounds of consultation were carried out over the summer.

These included 112 comments, with 59 deemed by the council to be “valid objections”.

The most common objection, mentioned 35 times, was that there was a lack of data to justify the changes.

There were also 42 comments in favour of the speed limit changes, however.

A petition against them, which gathered 1,038 signatures, was only considered as one objection. This was because the signatories did not contact the council directly.