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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
John Paul Clark

West Lothian's Spaces for People programme is to be scrapped in July

West Lothian Council has decided to scrap the controversial Spaces for People programme.

Many locals complained at the unnecessary road markings and cycle lanes that were installed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland were awarded funds by the Scottish Government to introduce the scheme.

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A report to a meeting of West Lothian Council confirmed that the reduced 20mph and 40mph speed limits, new cycle lanes, wider footways and parking suspensions put in place during the pandemic will all be removed by mid-July.

This decision follows an extensive consultation which was carried out between December 2021 and January 2022, with over 10,000 responses received.

The majority of those who responded did not support retaining any of the measures, especially the temporary 20mph zones.

Alongside this decision, the council approved a review of the West Lothian Active Travel Plan and Accident Investigation and Prevention (AIP).

This includes reviewing: traffic speed limits currently in place on roads; Safer Routes to School, roads and parking in the immediate areas to a school and the deployment of school attendants and determine if additional measures are required; the impact and consequences of the introduction of decriminalised parking and the prohibition of pavement parking; and the impact of the Scottish Government's proposal of a safer speed limit of 20 mph on all appropriate roads in built up areas by 2025.

A further report on costs and timetable for the reviews will be brought back to a future meeting of the full West Lothian Council.

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