The 40mph limit on Dundee’s busiest road is to be extended as part of a drive to cut road deaths.
Government agency Transport Scotland intends to reduce the speed limits on 44 sections of Scotland’s A roads, although limits will be raised in 23 other locations.
In Dundee, this will see the 40mph part of the Kingsway, which already stretches from the Scott Fyfe roundabout to the Forfar Road junction, extended westwards to the Strathmartine Road circle.
Elsewhere in Tayside speed limits will also be cut from 60mph to 40mph on the A85 East Huntingtower to Lochty Road and from 60mph to 50mph on the same road between Crieff and Comrie but there are no plans to reduce the speed limit on the A9 between Perth and Inverness, one of Scotland’s most treacherous roads.
The Transport Scotland review found that, despite its reputation as a dangerous road, the number of accidents on the worst stretch of the A9 at Faskally, near Pitlochry was 25 accidents per 100 million vehicles over three years.
This was less than a third of the accident rate on a road near Helmsdale in Sutherland.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: ”Road safety is of paramount importance to Transport Scotland. The main aim of the speed limit review is to ensure that speed limits are consistent, understood by drivers and appropriate for their environment and circumstances for their use.”
Alan Mitchell, chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said he did not expect extending the 40mph zone on the Kingsway would have any economic impact on the city.
He said: ”I can’t see that would have a significant effect on business efficiency. But I would assume Transport Scotland monitors and reviews any changes to make sure the impacts they do have are the ones that are expected and if there any unexpected adverse impacts then they are addressed.”
Over 15,000 people were caught speeding in Tayside last year.
City development convener councillor Will Dawson said: ”From a road safety aspect I fully welcome the reduction of the speed limits on the A90.”
A spokesman for road safety charity Brake said: ”The relationship between speed and road safety is thoroughly evidenced. If you drive faster, you have less time to react to hazards and you hit harder if you do crash.
“Brake therefore welcomes the decision by Transport Scotland, following their review, to promote a reduction in speed limits on several sections of Scotland’s A roads.”