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Plan to cut speed limit on motorbike routes welcomed

BBC A man with grey hair and glasses in a blue and yellow jumper and green jackets stands in front of a polic officer with a speed camera in his handBBC
Philip Mark Kerr said anything being done to try to reduce the number of accidents was welcome

A community leader has welcomed proposals to reduce speed limits on four popular motorbiking roads in the Scottish Borders.

The Police Scotland plans, which are backed by Scottish Borders Council, are for 50mph (80km/h) limits to be introduced on four roads from March.

The routes are the A7 north of Galashiels, the B6357 from the Carter Bar, the A708 Moffat to Selkirk and the A6088 from Kielder to Bonchester Bridge.

Philip Mark Kerr from Southdean Community Council said any measure to cut the number of crashes had to be welcomed.

Getty Images A 50mph sign on a stand in front of a green grass bankingGetty Images
A 50mph limit will be tried out on a number of routes in the Borders

The Scottish Borders is a popular area with motorcyclists - particularly during the summer months.

There have been a number of initiatives in the past to try to improve safety - including patrols by an unmarked police motorbike.

The latest one will see the trial 50mph limit introduced in March 2025 and evaluated in September 2026.

A consultation will be carried out at that point on whether to retain the limit or revert to 60mph (96km/h).

The plan is unconnected to recent Scottish government proposals under which speed limits for cars could be reduced from 60mph to 50mph on single carriageways while increasing for lorries.

Mr Kerr said the move would be welcome in his area where three people died in a motorbike crash in the summer.

"Accidents and fatalities have taken place - notably this year which was horrific," he said.

"Therefore we do welcome any attempts to try and highlight the difficult conditions that are here and people should be able to drive to those.

"This has been driven by motorcycle safety concerns and the police have decided that the trial is going to take effect from April.

"It's the summer months where we have had the most concerns."