As noted in this Blog before (see recent item here ) I think the idea of pulling the plug on street lighting between say midnight and 5.30am is a great idea in some areas. Street lighting costs have risen by 114 per cent over the past two years and this move could save a massive £1.7 million in street lighting costs, make a significant CO2 saving and cut light pollution. Plus with energy prices set to rise further savings made will grow.Gloucestershire County Council are considering proposals, but understandably the plan has sparked safety fears and according to The Citizen police and paramedics have warned it could lead to problems. Certainly in some areas it is not suitable.
Switching off is one of three proposals - the other suggestions include switching off alternate street lights and installing energy efficient bulbs. the plan is for a two-month pilot to switch off lights which could be launched in villages in January if councils sign up for it. Are our local Councils interested? Randwick Parish have certainly raised the issue.
See The Citizen article here with comments.
4 comments:
Just been sent a copy of this letter sent to local press on street lighting - it is true we do need to start taking all sorts of measures if we are to tackle climate change - as the recent Green party conference said - we need a war on climate change.
Dear Editor,
Your report on the front page of yesterday's Echo - 'Don't pull the plug on street lighting' - was a biased and short-sighted view of the issue. The proposal suggested was hardly radical and far from endangering lives and property it will have the opposite effect, because it will reduce our County's carbon emissions. What is endangering our lives and our property is Climate Change and the vast majority of people - including the Echo - still don't get how serious Climate Change is. Switching off the County's street lights for 5.5 hours a night is not radical but it is a start. You quote the Chairman of Charlton Kings Parish Council saying it would be like the 1950s when all lights were turned off at night - we need to go even farther than that if we are to preserve the atmosphere that we all breath and ensure that human and all other forms of life will be able to breath and live on the earth in decades to come... we are fast running out of time to take serious drastic action and I applaud Gloucestershire County Council for proposing this step.
Cathy Green,
Campaign against Climate Change, Cheltenham
Cracking Idea!
It is simple straigthforward ideas like this that could have an immediate impact of energy usage and provoke the wider debate on what is 'normal' and therfore unquestioned in this respect.
I was walking home last night past cashes green school and thought do we really need all these street lamps on. What it needs is a sensible study to see if certain lights could be turned off during the middle of the night. Yes security is a consideration. Perhaps streetlights could incorporate infra red detectors. These would surley pay forthem selves over time. Surely new lights should incorporate solar panels so as at least to make some use of daylight before switching to the grid.
Agree with the last comments on this - we don't need these lights all on - we live in the countryside - or rather we used to! It would be great to restore a bit of the night sky and something of the countryside - read somewhere that lights on all the time is messing with the owls and other wildlife.
Post a Comment