Dear esteemed councillor,
I write to you in your capacity as XXX on the Council's Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee, regarding the proposed 20mph speed limit zone in the South of Edinburgh. In particular I am concerned to have read that it is proposed that the north-south Marchmont / Kilgraston Road and the east-west Churchill / Strathearn / Grange Road routes are no longer to be included in the plans. I therefore write to show my personal support - and add to the support from other local people - for the original plans.
I am not a car owner or driver and find walking and cycling perfectly capable of taking me anywhere in town and beyond - and usually as quick, if not quicker, than a car with a theoretical higher top speed could do the equivalent. In traffic, it is quite obvious to the cyclist that, despite their lower top speed, the average speed is in fact the same or better than a car. A lower speed limit for cars may actually benefit the throughput of traffic through the area by reducing the amount of harsh accelerate / brake / accelerate / brake style driving that causes traffic to concertina and actually decreases the average speed.
However I do not support this issue in my capacity as a cyclist as some part of the mythical "war on the motorist", I support this issue as a resident of the area who feels that it will benefit local residents by making our roads a safer place for all users. Our roads are not necessarily a dangerous place for anyone if they are careful and follow the Highway Code. Unfortunately not everybody does and on the very rare and unfortunate occasions when accidents do occur, having a speed limit of 20mph greatly increases the chances of survival for pedestrian and cyclist (and other car drivers) alike. It is therefore very important that "corridor" routes are included in the plans - as not only do they carry more car traffic than the side streets do, they will also carry more pedestrians and cyclists for the very reason that they are direct routes between places that lots of people want to go to and from. Lastly, I do not think that Lothian and Borders Police's concerns about their ability to enforce the zones should carry too much weight in the decision making process as it only takes a minority of cars to drive at 20mph to self regulate the others behind them into compliance.
I urge you therefore to support retaining the proposed 20mph speed limits for the two routes in question. We have other parts of Scotland and the Scottish Government observing developments with interest and should do the right thing and set a positive example that they can follow.
Yours sincerely, humble servant, God Save the King etc.
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