Ambitious Highlands-wide programme recognised for creating safer, calmer communities
The Highland Council’s Road Safety Team has been recognised nationally after winning the Most Effective Road Safety, Traffic Management & Enforcement Project at the Scottish Transport Awards.
The award celebrates the Council’s ambitious 20mph programme, which has seen more than 600 kilometres of roads across 127 communities reduced from 30mph to 20mph, creating calmer and safer streets across the Highlands.
Extensive public consultation, generating thousands of responses, helped shape the programme to reflect local priorities. Early results show encouraging reductions in vehicle speeds, particularly on routes where speeds were previously highest. The project, made permanent by councillors in 2025, is already contributing to a significant shift towards safer driving behaviours.
Chair of the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: “In the summer of 2022 the Council agreed to take on the opportunity provided by Transport Scotland for the early adoption of 20 mph speed limits in our Council area.
“To do a roll out on this scale has been a huge piece of work so firstly I want to pay credit to the many members of the public, community groups and my fellow councillors, for getting involved and providing valuable input to the process.
“The information gathered since we introduced 20mph across our towns, villages and settlements shows an encouraging reduction in collisions compared to those statistics before the 20mph speed limit was introduced. This is really very positive news.
“I would like to congratulate our Road Safety Team on this fantastic achievement. This award recognises not only the scale and ambition of the 20mph programme, but the real difference it is making in communities across the Highlands.
“By working closely with residents and taking a practical, evidence-based approach, the team has helped create safer, calmer streets for everyone. This is something we can all be proud of.”