Fears over street light cut-backs

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 07 Sep 2010, 06:47

BBC News - 07/09/10

The growing number of councils across the UK that are switching off street lights has prompted criticism from MPs and road safety groups.

Some councils have turned off some lights at selected times, switched others off completely and turned traffic lights off in a bid to save money.

Commons Transport Select Committee chairwoman Louise Ellman said she fears road safety was being compromised.

The UK's 7.5m street lights cost about £500m each year to power.

Article continues ...

They'll surely save a lot of money when the blackouts start.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 07 Sep 2010, 14:59

Some kind of PIR sensors installed on street lights in quiet areas might be a good idea.

If they could be linked so that they light in threes - so there's always one light ahead of you and one behind - even better, though this is probably beyond the imaginations of councils.

Traffic lights only really need a red. The amber and green are superfluous.

Shops and other unnecessary lighting should all either be timed to go off at the quietest times, put on timed dimmer switches or on PIRs.

All external house lights should be on PIRs.

And as for Christmas....

Post by **adam2** » 07 Sep 2010, 16:27

The lamps used at present cant be switched by motion detectors since they take a minute or more to warm up.
LEDs light instantly and could be switched by PIRs, and I suspect that such will soon be installed for trials.

I suspect that most of the public will hate the idea, women especially like to see the whole road lit, for as far as they can see, and would not like dark areas.

PiR detectors might not respond well to vehicles.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 07 Sep 2010, 16:33

adam2 wrote:PiR detectors might not respond well to vehicles.

Last time I looked, cars had lights.

(cue response about 'dangerous' junctions and 'accident blackspots' blah blah blah)

syberberg · Post by **syberberg** » 07 Sep 2010, 17:52

Don't know what all the fuss is about as soon we'll all be driving around in electric cars with auto-pilots and safe distance radar and rear view cameras and automatic parking and loads of other really cool technologies.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 07 Sep 2010, 18:51

And as for Christmas....

The lights only go on when father christmas is on the scene

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 07 Sep 2010, 18:53

Don't know what all the fuss is about as soon we'll all be driving around in electric cars with auto-pilots and safe distance radar and rear view cameras and automatic parking and loads of other really cool technologies.

And for free

We will all also be wearing silver jumpsuits...

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 07 Sep 2010, 19:01

Our country lane has street lights. It's a rare event for a vehicle to travel along it between midnight and 6am.

(Unless it's us coming home from a party.)

Doris · Post by **Doris** » 07 Sep 2010, 19:34

our village is quite small and we have a about 8 streetlights apread along the main road, too be honest they are not worth having, we walk the dogs at night and use a torch as do most people in the village.

It's the motorway and dual carriage way lights that really wind me up, you have them in the middle of the road and both sides, they are also really close together you could get rid of every other one and it would still be "daylight"!! don't even get me started on business parks and shopping centres that are lit up like christmas 24/7 Grrr!

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 07 Sep 2010, 23:39

But if you turned the lights off the nasty boogie woogie man would come along, rape your dog and break trees and stuff.

Business parks would no longer be convenient meeting places for boy racers and then they would have to find somewhere else to play.

Have you no consideration for 'uman wights?

revdode · Post by **revdode** » 08 Sep 2010, 04:42

For LED area and street lighting you will see smart systems which follow you around. These are already in development tracking movement across spaces and increasing light levels locally while using a lower maintenance level at greater distance from the people walking in the space. Also invisible LED systems for street lighting, changing from large high power lamps to more smaller fixtures which will have a lower impact during the day and give a more even light at night.

I don't know if either of these will ever make it into the real world, I'm not sure so many public bodys will have the money for the necessary investment.

syberberg · Post by **syberberg** » 08 Sep 2010, 16:22

maudibe wrote:
Don't know what all the fuss is about as soon we'll all be driving around in electric cars with auto-pilots and safe distance radar and rear view cameras and automatic parking and loads of other really cool technologies.
And for free

We will all also be wearing silver jumpsuits...

I'd much rather have a stillsuit. They look better

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 08 Sep 2010, 21:55

syberberg wrote:
maudibe wrote:
Don't know what all the fuss is about as soon we'll all be driving around in electric cars with auto-pilots and safe distance radar and rear view cameras and automatic parking and loads of other really cool technologies.
And for free

We will all also be wearing silver jumpsuits...

I'd much rather have a stillsuit. They look better

More practical too, the way things are going

syberberg · Post by **syberberg** » 08 Sep 2010, 23:26

Andy Hunt wrote:
syberberg wrote:
maudibe wrote: And for free

We will all also be wearing silver jumpsuits...

I'd much rather have a stillsuit. They look better
More practical too, the way things are going

and

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 09 Sep 2010, 03:45

adam2 wrote:I suspect that most of the public will hate the idea, women especially like to see the whole road lit, for as far as they can see, and would not like dark areas.

How many people, women especially, actually walk around the streets between 01:00 and 6:00 in the morning, especially on country roads, motorways and dual carriageways?