A 20mph speed limit in Oban town centre would be “of no real benefit”, according to the local community council.
The group has responded to a consultation by Transport Scotland seeking views about the introduction of such a limit.
Marri Malloy, chairwoman of Oban Community Council, said: “If we could get up to 20mph in Oban town centre, I would be delighted. I don’t think speed is a problem in Oban.”
In an official written response to Transport Scotland, Oban Community Council secretary Andrew Vennard said: “There was a general consensus among our members that this would not have any real benefits for the town centre.
“It was felt that there are other traffic priorities that need to be addressed in the town centre such as traffic flow and car parking, and we do not think that this proposal would address these issues.
“We are also not aware of any injuries or even fatalities that have occurred in Oban town centre that could be attributed to the speed of vehicles; by contrast there have been a number of accidents on rural roads in Argyll and Bute such as the A82, A83, A85, and A816 on a regular basis, including several fatalities, and we feel that it is more of a priority that measures were adopted to deal with the road safety on those roads.”
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said: “We want to see 20mph limits and zones implemented where they are appropriate in Scotland and are keen to encourage initiatives that cut speed in our towns and cities.
“We issued national guidance last year through the Good Practice Guide on 20mph speed restrictions which encourages local authorities to introduce lower limits near schools, in residential areas and in other areas of our towns and cities with a significant volume of pedestrian or cyclist activity.
“The guide aims to ensure that 20 mph zones and limits are used more widely where the individual circumstances call for them.”
