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mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Street and motorway lights are to be switched off to save cash.

The Highways Agency - which runs main roads and motorways - said trials will begin later this year.

Lights will be dimmed or go off automatically at midnight when there are fewer cars or lorries on the roads.

Angry road safety groups last night slammed the plan as "ludicrous".

Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman admitted his department is also urging town hall chiefs to dim or turn off other street lights at midnight to save money.

In a written Commons answer slipped out this week he said councils were encouraged to adopt the "energy-saving measures". He added that the Highways Agency were also looking at the midnight switch-off policy.

He said: "Any financial or environmental saving would have to be balanced against potential adverse effects, for example on accidents or crime." Around 30 per cent of major roads and motorways are lit and powerful lights are installed at junctions and roundabouts to reduce accidents.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "Work is at a very early stage.

"Our first step could be to look at whether lights could be dimmed at suitable locations when traffic levels are low. We will not begin trials without very careful pre-assessments."

This could cause more accidents as street lights are there to see pedestrians walking sometimes in the wrong place. Seems to me they are thinking more about saving money than peoples safety.

I think this could increase more violence and crime. Although everyone should take a cab home when being out on the town after a few, as they should think about their own safety.

gfloyd · Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:29 am Post subject:

Aren't they talking about lighting on motorways & dual carriage ways? A lot of the lighting on these roads is excessive anyway but I would be against doing it in residential areas.
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mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

They've been talking about switching off street lights up here in Warwickshire for a while now. There's very few lights on the M40 up here, and very few lights in the country areas. They are talking about lights in Warwick, Leamington, Stratford, Rugby, Nuneaton areas and all the villages in between.

John W

Cherskiy · Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:11 am Post subject:

For the amount of traffic that uses major roads at night, the lights might as well be shut off. It's not as though people drive around with their own headlights off, so they'll still be able to see where they're going.

As an occasional astronomer, I'm happy to support anything that cuts down on light pollution - and it saves on energy usage.
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gfloyd · Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:15 am Post subject:

I would agree with the light pollution issue and its sad that an entire generation has grown up without ever seeing the night sky properly. I suspect that the fear agenda of lots of the media will cause this iniative to be reversed though. The first time a person gets injured or worse in an unlit area, the papers & the talk shows will start jumping to the usual (wrong) conclusions.
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quickssandra · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 158 Location: Scotland

It beggars belief that road lights are on in the middle of the night in quiet areas.

Obviously if it is busy, or in a main city, lights need to be on, but even then, what is the problem with dipping them down after a certain time?

I'm sure most motorways could be switched off during the night.

The cost of doing this should even out eventually, when the cost of the electricity saved is taken into account.

Won't it be lovely to see the stars again?

QS

Highlander · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 348 Location: Scotland

The Scottish Executive have said that they have no intention of following their "counterparts" South of the Border. It is considered far too dangerous. Note that far north councils have to keep the lights on for even longer in the winter.
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gfloyd · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

This is what Europe looks like from space at night, so maybe we could do with turning some of the lights off.
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RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

1. Interesting to see where the red light districts are Wink

2. Why's half the North Sea lit up? Question

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gfloyd · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject:

SantaFefan · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:24 am Post subject:

If blue is cold, couldn't it be rain or snow?

Behind Geddon's Wall · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:48 am Post subject:

Don't turn off a lightbulb in London! It'll grind to a halt Exclamation

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pickle · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:19 pm Post subject: Street light switch off

I heard Dave Lee Travis really go off on one about this on Magic 828 last Saturday - and then he got cut off and followed with lots of adverts!

I was listening to this as I can't stand Jonathan Ross.
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gfloyd · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Street light switch off