Speed limit zones of 20mph are set to become permanent in Perth & Kinross.
The community-backed measures were put in place in five places — Aberfeldy, Dalginross in Comrie, Errol, Kinnesswood and Rattray.
The council hopes each will continue to help and improve road safety across the area.
The move comes after Perth and Kinross Council’s environment infrastructure committee agreed plans to make the speed reductions permanent.
Each of the locations were part of a trial last year which aimed to identify what different road and signage worked best to improve road safety by reinforcing lower speed limits and changing driver behaviour.
What did the trial consist of?
Each area offered a different kind of road environment, such as rural, town, residential and school.
Four measures of reducing speed were included in each trial and introduced on a phased basis.
First was installing 20mph signs, moving to vehicle activated signs, physical traffic calming measures and finally police monitoring and enforcement activity.
The trial showed that physical traffic calming measures had the biggest impact on driver speeds. They will be combined with road signage and markings as part of the permanent zones.
Angus Forbes, convenor of the committee, said: “Road safety is a priority for the council and our communities.
“We receive numerous requests from residents for 20mph limits on roads within our area, in the hope that this will improve road safety.
“The trial has shown that the introduction of 20mph speed limits in the trial locations have on the whole been beneficial. Understandably there has been strong community support for the retention of the 20mph speed limits.
“It has also demonstrated that the introduction of a 20mph zone using signage alone is not always effective, particularly where averaged speeds are above 24mph. I welcome the installation of additional speed reduction measures to combat this.”
Feedback from the trial will now be used to inform future 20mph speed limit zones, helping to identify which additional traffic calming measures should be implemented to support the introduction of the new limits.
