BRIDGE OF EARN — As the rollout of 20mph speed limits across around 135 communities in Perth and Kinross enters its final stretch, council officials have unveiled an ambitious vision for what comes next: going even slower.

"Twenty was always just the beginning," said Head of Velocity Reduction Kenneth Imrie, gesturing at a whiteboard covered in ever-smaller numbers. "Next year, 15. The year after, 10. By 2030, we expect the average speed in Perth and Kinross to be lower than the Tay. By 2035, we'd like cars to be essentially ornamental."

The final phase of the current programme brings new 20mph limits to communities including Blairgowrie, Rattray, Bankfoot, Stanley, Luncarty, Abernethy, Forgandenny and Bridge of Earn and Kintillo, with works scheduled to finish by the end of 2026.

Residents in the newly slowed areas report mixed experiences. "I drove from one end of Bridge of Earn to the other on Monday," said local man Ian Forsyth, 59. "I left with a full tank and a young face. When I arrived, I had a beard and a grandchild."

Under the proposed "Phase Infinity", the final limit would be replaced by a sign simply reading "Have You Considered Not?", followed by a small bench.

Local businesses have been quick to adapt. A Blairgowrie café now offers a "20mph breakfast", served across the course of an entire morning, while a Kinross driving instructor has begun offering lessons "in the theory of motion, mainly".

Some drivers have raised concerns about being overtaken. "A pensioner on a mobility scooter went past me on Main Street, Bankfoot," said one. "She didn't even look back. She just raised one hand. It was devastating."

Asked whether the policy could go too far, Imrie was firm. "There is no such thing as too slow," he said, before taking eleven minutes to stand up from his chair.