All Spaces for People street changes introduced during the pandemic in West Lothian are set to be scrapped.
That means an end to the controversial 20mph zones in towns and villages around the county by the middle of the year.
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.
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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 them and the deployment of attendants and determination of whether additional measures are required.
It will also look at 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.
Communities, which have welcomed a reduction in speeds at accident blackspots, can pursue having new permament measures installed. The Spaces for People measures were only designed to be temporary. Consultation is needed before permanent speed reduction can be introduced.
