Almost 1000 drivers caught breaking 20mph limit in Edinburgh
NEARLY 1000 drivers breached Edinburgh's 20mph restrictions over a six-month period - but just 55 of those drivers received fines, new stats reveal.
The latest data from Police Scotland shows that from 31 July 2017 to 15 January 2018, officers issued a fine on 55 occasions despite handing out 960 warnings - meaning less than 6 per cent of motorists paid a financial penalty for driving over the limit.
Since the scheme was first rolled out in 2016, it has been estimated that as many as 8 out of every 10 drivers regularly breach the speed restrictions.
Some critics have argued that Police Scotland do not possess the resources to effectively enforce Edinburgh’s 20mph zones.
However, advocates of the initiative say a significant decrease in road traffic accidents means they are working.
Figures released last month showed a 24 per cent drop in road casualties between October and December 2017 when compared with the same period for 2016.
The number of people being killed or seriously injured has also fallen by almost a third.
Neil Greig, from UK Road Safety Charity IAM Roadsmart, was adamant that the 20mph zone ruling was working for Edinburgh despite the low number of fines dished out: “I think Police Scotland have got the right balance here. I think when it comes to 20mph zones in Edinburgh you have very few signs, the character of the road hasn’t changed. So we would rather they were educating and trying to change people’s behaviour rather than issuing tickets, cause people may not realise they’re breaking the speed limit.
“If you really have a particular problem street then you should be putting in traffic calming, you should be making sure the 20mph zones are self-enforcing. The police just do not have the time and resources to police every 20mph zone in Edinburgh.”
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