Above and below are the responses to a web survey I set up last year to understand the desire to reduce the speed limit on 40mph roads in my Ward to 30mph. I don’t claim my survey is “scientific” or conclusive, but it does show that locally there is a desire for safer roads.

For Change

1. I don’t see the need for 40mph speed limit within residential areas. Would love the limit to be reduced on biggar road so I can more easily take the bus to school (Pentland) with my children.
2. Cars come off the bypass and still go to fast down this road especially with all the new housing 30 would be plenty please also included the slow down sign and also the cost of policing (speed checks) on a regular bases without this people will remain going to fast
3. This is essential!
4. Volume of traffic, day car parking, extra houses and junctions and shops, mean this road is becoming more and more dangerous. A 30 limit would help take some of the heat out the traffic
5. The road is too fast. It’s in a fairly built-up area with lots of parked cars. There’s no need for it to be so fast there -30mph would be more appropriate. I’m really worried about my son and his friends crossing the road when they start at Boroughmuir next year.
6. The area around the shops at Buckstone is particularly dangerous as the bend in the road means that people do not have good sight lines when crossing, particularly outside the shops where people double park.
7. There is no need to travel above 30mph in Edinburgh
8. There have been two fatalities near our house within the last 5 years and many near misses that we have seen, it is against the spirit of road safety to drop the limit to 20 on tiny streets with no traffic and leave thousands of people to cross 40mph roads with loads of traffic, whilst going about their daily business to catch buses etc.
9. We live on Pentland View, and regularly struggle to pull out of our road safely given the speed of oncoming traffic and difficulty seeing past parked cars outside the Buckstone shops. I also feel vulnerable (especially with my two young children) crossing the main road here due to the speed of the traffic.
10. The section of road from Fairmilehead to the top of braidburn is residential and as traffic volume has risen so have the incidents of careless driving putting both residents and motorist in greatear danger there is no need for a residential street to be 40 mph
11. Extremely dangerous roads – especially the charwood grill junction.
12. As a resident of Winton who has to cross Biggar Road on a daily basis with my children to get the bus, I believe reducing the speed on that road is absolutely necessary to make the passage safer
13. I fully agree. These roads pass through residential areas, and it would be much safer for everyone if the speed limit was reduced.
14. I’m a car driver, but I also regularly cycle on the 702 to Fairmilehead, as do many others. It’s a busy bus route, and many school kids getting off the buses and crossing, and a lot of older folks living in the area. 40mph limit here is not appropriate, and it’s common to see cars travelling a lot faster than 40mph.
15. Recent accidents demonstrate the need to bring the limit down on these roads. It’s also a great opportunity to put some meaningful provision for cyclists.
16. These Highly residential areas should limited to 30mph
17. These are far to fast for residential areas of Edinburgh with very close proximity to local schools. All of these roads are used daily by children and families to get to school, 40mph is unsafe and leaves me very nervous to cross . I have lived in the area for under 5 years and in that time I have been aware of at least 5 quite serious road traffic incidents on Buckstone Road alone, most including pedestrians. This urgently requires review.
18. Yes please. As a cyclist And bus user/walker who lives just off this road we need this badly for safety. Crossings are too infrequent for bus users carrying shopping etc and hard as a cyclist to safely navigate pinch points ( islands) and exit right over 3 lanes of traffic.
19. I lived on Biggar Road for 21 years, witnessing the speed of cars, still driven at bypass levels or drivers heading south from crossroads accelerating with the down hill & 2 lanes. It is a lethal & frightening road to cross, pedestrians avoid the area, local people use their cars to move around, especially when transporting their children. Reducing speeds would reduce car use, road safety, traffic density & improve local residents quality of life, health & air quality.
20. Should have been 30 limit years ago (F’head lights to Braid H Hotel). Especially at B’stone shops.
21. I cycle past the Buckstone shops almost daily and it’s an accident waiting to happen. Vehicles are double parked outside the shops making it even more unsafe for cyclists and other roads users not to mention all the school kids crossing to wait for buses into town. And the cycle lane is a joke, avoid at all costs unless you wanted floored by a opening car door.
22. I assume the City of Edinburgh accepts that we have a climate emergency? It really is time that pedestrians, cyclists and local bus services are given priority over motorists. The pedestrian crossing helps but as a cyclist you take your life in your hands trying to turn right out of the waterboard estate. Although the speed limit is 40mph many cars/vans/lorries are travelling faster. Please, in the interests of safety, reduce the speed limit to 30mph.
23. The road from Greenbank to the bypass has no business being 40mph. On-street parking is already a problem and is a significant hazard to cyclists. Parking should be forbidden from Riselaw Place southwards as far as the bypass. Or, create a bus lane. Speed reduction is needed in tandem with removal of hazards.
24. Please also consider safe pedestrian crossings near Craigdon Mountain Sports, ie of the Biggar Road and of the of the bypass slip roads. There’s a great walking path eastwards from Swanson village and onto the Mortonhall estate but it involves risking life and limb crossing the slip roads and then the A702.
25. Please – put the safety of vulnerable road users first. Thank you
26. Traffic volumes and on-street parking (with respect to the the A70) are probably the most significant, but sure: whatever it takes to start a process of making these roads safer.
27. Crossing this road is a danger cars do not just do 40mph they drive 45mph. There are houses on both sides of the roads and in such a residential area I have no idea why the speed limit is 40.
28. I would also like to see some traffic calming in Swanston Avenue as it is commonly used as a rat run when traffic builds up around the fairmilehead crossroads – driver speed to make up for their perceived lost time ?
29. Streets need to made safer for residents.
30. My main concern is Biggar Road as cars speed up this road after exiting the City Bypass. It’s almost impossible to get out of Swanston Avenue safely! But all the roads mentioned above require the speed to be reduced to 30 mph.
31. I still think there is a requirement for a Park and Ride at Lothianburn as the volume of traffic is increasing. You just need to look at the volume of cars parked on Comiston Road and side streets to confirm people are driving into that area then taking the bus into town.
32. This reduction in speed should have been implemented YEARS ago. All secondary school children living in Buckstone have had to cross that road to get to the bus stops, putting their lives in danger every day. Since our boys were at high school when we worried every day for their safety, the situation has been improved somewhat by the introduction of two crossing points but we all know that if a bus is coming the children will run. As long as the limit is forty many drivers feel safe to drive at fifty. I used to walk from my house to work at South Morningside primary and I found that quite a number of drivers actually didn’t always notice the crossings anyway! There is also a problem with the twenty mph on Braid Road,where almost no drivers actually stick to the limit. There is a big 20 written on the road but JUST as they come off Comiston Road but it is a very sharp turn and drivers are too busy at that exact point to notice the 20. I think it might help a lot if we could have another big 20 painted on the road maybe twenty metres down Braid Road once drivers have negociated the corner.
33. Thank you – we so need speed to reduce as volume and speed of cars is increasing. As residents of Pentland view we need a reduced limit all way to green bank to prevent cars from accelerating away from the shops going downhill to green bank. Coming out of PV already is unsafe when driving due to obscured view of traffic from double parked cars, commercial bins etc. Reducing speed would allow my daughter to safely cross the road from taking bus from town without taking her life in her hands. Parking also needs to be enforced in the area and near bus stops so that pedestrians can see when getting off bus and to allow safe crossings of road. I feel particularly for young and old people with current speed limits ( and our area has a very high proportion of families and elderly people).
34. The Buckstone shops area is an accident waiting to happen and someones child is going to be killed. It is the junction to Pentland primary, a busy nursery at Cranley, playgroup and after school club at St Fillan’s and access across the road for both commuters and high school kids. It needs to be considered urgently for reduction in speed
35. The current speed limit of 40mph is dangerously high given the numbers of pedestrians crossing, vehicles changing lanes or turning into and out of side roads, and bikes using the road. It gives the wrong signals to cars joining the road from the bypass, that they are still on a ‘fast road’ and that they should drive accordingly and expect others to do so; in practice this means less patience, tolerance and accommodation of other vehicles making manoeuvres, and greater danger for all road users.
36. A 30mph limit would be more appropriate to the usage of the road, more consistent with the surrounding 20mph roads, and would significantly reduce the risk of accidents.
37. There is no NEED for a 40 mph limit as at present. It doesn’t serve any purpose and drivers need to be calmed down immediately they come off or cross the by-pass and be aware they are in a residential area and in the City of Edinburgh. I’ve driven for over 40 years and the Fairmilehead cross roads and approaches make me very nervous as everyone seems intent on doing 50mph ‘attitudinally’. Hell for leather is the phrase that comes to mind. If the limit was reduced it would be well served by the illuminated signs that record speed and state the need to slow down to 30.
38. Every high school aged child in the Buckstone and new Waterfield estate on the previous waterboard ground have to cross the road on Buckstone Terrace on their journey to Boroughmuir or other schools. It is insane given the number of RTA’s in the past that this road remains a 40 (meaning many do above this). The addition of the crossing may have helped a bit but in my opinion should have been lights for the junction rather than just a crossing and would have positioned the crossing point nearer to where Waterfield kids cross. Many kids continue to cross at the islands. The crossroads at Fairmilehead should also be reviewed. Turning right from Buckstone Terrace to Hunters Tryst which is a near blind junction, especially if cars queuing to turn right from the bypass, and is the only approach without a dedicated filter. Lane marking should also be reviewed to make left lane turn left and straight on, and right hand lane turn right only. Same coming from the bypass – 3 lanes should be left only, straight ahead and right only.
39. commuting by bike on this stretch would be a lot nicer
40. Parking outside shops at Buckstone Terrace, sometimes vehicles double parked, make it hard to see on-coming traffic travelling south when turning right from Pentland View. Parking restrictions on junction both in Buckstone terrace and Pentland View aren’t enforced. Have lived in Pentland View for 13 years and have never seen parking attendants here.
41. These are busy cyclist commuter routes with a dangerous pinch points at Buckstone shops.
42. The safety of vulnerable road users is more important than someone getting to the back of the next traffic queue a minute quicker than they otherwise would.
43. And A702 Biggar Road (Damhead to City Bypass)
44. I believe that the Council can not justify a 40mph limit in any residential area where housing is directly on to the road.
45. As a resident of Lanark Rd the speed of the traffic continues to increase as drivers are freed from the restrictions on the surrounding roads. This can only be addressed by reducing the speed on Lanark Road itself. It is a residential street with family homes on both sides and in my time here I have witnessed accidents involving people (thankfully no serious injuries) and many animal fatalities. The bottleneck on Lanark Road heading into town is created by increased housing in Currie and Balerno and reducing the speed after Gillespie crossroads towards Kingknowe to 30 would have little or no effect on journey time and make a significant difference to the safety of Lanark Road.
46. Speed limits change from 20mph to 40mph at Buckstone shops.
47. Large numbers of children need to cross this road to get to school. I’m sure you’re aware of the chances of survival if struck by a car at 40mph, compared to 30 or 20. People driving through see the 40 limit so don’t realise it’s a highly built up area, so very often treat the road as a continuation of the bypass and go even faster. I think it’s unprecedented in the city for a 40mph road to traverse such a densley populated area.
48. Regular speeding on Buckstone Terrace. 30mph would make a big difference when reversing out into traffic with small children in car.
49. We have had our vehicles hit twice in the past year, I feel reducing the speed limit to 30moh would make our road much safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
50. The current speed limits are excessively abused and need to be reduced for safety reasons.
51. cars travel too fast on this section
52. Lanark Road traffic has become much faster recently and unless you use it , you are probably not aware of the danger , particularly to children and the elderly.
53. Essential with so bent youngsters and a nursery in the vicinity
54. These areas are all very residential and i use Lanark Road in particular for nursery pick up. Drivers go way to fast and am always concerned for the little ones coming out onto such a busy road,40 speed limit is too fast for such a built up area.