Proposals to reduce speed limits in and around Finstown have stalled after Orkney councillors decided the decision should go back to committee.
At a meeting of Orkney council’s full council on Tuesday, council convener Graham Bevan put forward an amendment for the proposals to go back to the Development and Infrastructure committee for “further consideration.”
This was backed unanimously by the other councillors.
This included committee chairman councillor David Dawson.
He said: “I’m quite happy for that to come back to the committee.
“There’s been considerable debate following the meeting and I think we should discuss the options further.
“Plus there’s the public interest as well.”
What happened before now?
On September 6, the councillors on the development and infrastructure committee gave their backing to a raft of changes in Finstown, expected to cost around £40,000.
This came after viewing a 73-page Finstown Traffic Management Study, put together by consultants Systra.
Systra’s report came about as a result of a petition, raising the road safety concerns of the local community.
The changes that had previously got the thumbs-up last month – but have now been halted – included:
• 40mph speed limits being put in place on Old Finstown Road, Heddle Road, and at either side of the village on the A965 Kirkwall to Stromness road
• the 40mph speed limit on the A966 road should be extended
• an existing part-time 20mph limit on the A966 should be extended to cover a section of A965 main road through Finstown
There were also to be upgrades at the existing village gateways, the introduction of speed indication devices, upgrades to existing pedestrian crossings, and the creation of new crossings.
Finally, the original proposals would have also seen the introduction of traffic calming measures.
There would have also been a widening of a section of footway on the road out to Evie.
Did everyone agree?
However, during that original committee meeting, these weren’t to everyone’s liking.
Councillor Duncan Tullock spoke out against them. He said the main thrust of the consultant’s report had been lost.
He felt there should be no changes to the speed limits leading into the town, only within Finstown itself.
Mr Tullock felt that changing the speed limits leading to the town would only result in “ructions in the community.”
Instead, he wanted the proposed 20mph speed limits to be made permanent, rather than part-time.
Citing Systra’s report he also said only 38% of people in the town wanted the traffic calming measures.
The next meeting of the Development and Infrastructure committee is due to be held on November 8.
Conversation