The Scottish capital is to become the first city in the country to introduce widespread 20mph speed limits.

A large swathe of roads including commuter corridors in Edinburgh could change from late 2015 if plans are approved this month.

A map of proposed limits for hundreds of Edinburgh streets has been drawn up after a public consultation on the plans attracted nearly 3,000 responses.

The council said 20mph speed limits encourage more considerate driving, leading to safer streets for all road users, including motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Six cyclists have been killed in road accidents in the city over the last five years, twice as many as Glasgow.

The new 20mph network, which will go before members of the council's Transport and Environment Committee in a report for approval on Tuesday, would see the majority of the city's residential streets and streets in shopping areas become 20mph zones.

Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: "We were absolutely delighted with the huge response to our consultation in the autumn and it's great to be moving on to the stage of finalising exactly which streets will become 20mph, provided the necessary Traffic Regulation Orders are secured.

"Edinburgh is taking a very bold step in introducing slower speeds for so much of its roads and we're aware that other cities in Scotland are watching our example keenly.

"There's obviously a lot of work to be done to raise public awareness between now and the first new limits coming into effect.

"It's undoubtedly a culture change for the whole city but we're very encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response we've seen to the pilot project in South Edinburgh.

"Support for 20mph limits was already high before the pilot began but it increased even more once people tried out the slower speeds in practice."

John Lauder, National Director of Sustrans Scotland, which co-ordinates and promotes the country's cycle network said: "It is fantastic to see Edinburgh Council rolling out 20mph speed limits across more and more streets in the capital.

"Sustrans wants to see increasing numbers of people choosing to travel actively on an everyday basis, whether on foot or by bike, and we think that reducing traffic speeds is a key way to helping achieve this.

"Many other towns and cities across Scotland will no doubt be watching Edinburgh closely as implementation of the new 20mph network gets under way.

"Hopefully they will like what they see and learn from Edinburgh's experience."

Green transport spokesman Nigel Bagshaw said: "This is a good day for safer streets, reduced congestion and pollution; and efforts to promote cities for walkers and cyclists.

"However, we need to see it as step one in a process which makes 20mph the norm in all city streets, with only very limited exceptions. That would be simpler to understand for drivers and easier to enforce.

"We need not just 20mph streets but a 20mph city."