Has anyone had success in getting the street lights turned OFF?

[Hugechris]

I am very keen to hear of stories that resulted in large numbers of street lights turned off in your borough / council region.

There are cases where councils have started switching the lights off after certain times in the day and/or week. It would be interesting to hear what arguments have worked.

[jflowers]

Would be interested too, our back garden would be a nice spot if the neighbours would remember to turn off the outside lights, but even better if we could turn off the two street lights that light up a pedestrian pavement behind our house. They are not as bad as the next doors light, but a little annoying all the same.

[sologuitarist61]

Still have them on all night down here in Cornwall, but there have been a number of posts from people saying that their lights go off at midnight. Would prefer they went off at 11pm myself, but at least it is a start.

[jflowers]

Would be happy with midnight, compromise both ways. Those (daily mail readers) that think the dark is a dangerous place would be happier with 12am than 11pm and I could live with a late night if it meant dark skies

[Beulah]

I live in the sticks and I think there's a major switch off in a couple of months' time in three local towns. LP is noticeable as light domes and I cannot wait until that day. Unfortunately I will have new neighbours by then who may negate the effects. Astronomy comes with a large dose of irony.

[SteveNickolls]

Notts County Council have a 4 year programme to save 25% off their street lighting bill (equating to £1.25m per year using 2010/11 electricity prices). They go on about savings in CO2 emissions of aroundabout 5,800 tonnes per year, saving a further £70,000 on the purchase of carbon allowances. This link

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelling/roads/road-design-and-maintenance/street-lighting/energy-saving-project/

gives all the detail. Make no mistake this is a cost saving exercise but with an obvious spin off for astronomy. Despite their reasoning being financially based I consider they have thought through the lighting options well and they have decided they will include:

• Switching off completely some lights where they are no longer considered necessary.
  
• Dimming of some lights on main roads between the hours of 10pm and 7am when traffic flows are low and a lower level of lighting will not affect road safety.
  
• Switching off some lights between midnight and 5.30am (plus or minus 15 minutes) in residential areas in consultation with local communities.
  

They have said they will not to reduce the level of lighting in areas where there is an above-average level of crime or where there is a high risk of road traffic accidents and have an exceptions criteria exception criteria² have been developed in consultation with the emergency services and the Accident Investigation Unit and have been approved by the Council's Cabinet. I hope this detail helps you 'Hugechris'. I am pleased their research has led them away from using other replacement types of street lighting and in favour of turning lights off or having them dimmed.

Some villages have already had their lighting dimmed/turned off and I am looking forward to October when our ward has its lighting reduced (I think we are the first urban area to go 'dark'). The only concern raised against the proposals in this area has been by a ward councillor who has canvassed and found that a majority of residents are afraid it will encourage crime (while the national research shows this is not the case). I have written both to him and the County Council supporting the reduction in lighting and the benefits dark skies this will give to local astronomers and the oppotunities for schools to hold astronomy clubs and use it as a way to introduce science to children.

I'm seriously considering buying a light meter to monitor local lighting levels each night both before and after the lights are turned off.

P.S. Have you seen the Campaign for Dark Skies website? Very informative- http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/crime.html?7O

Cheers,

Steve

[euphony]

Derbyshire County Council have a similar scheme, and the area where I live hasn't been mentioned yet (I'm literally a hop skip and a jump from the Nottinghamshire border and work in Nottingham and consider Nottingham City centre my local City though!).

I contacted the council recently to ask them if there is anything they could do about the streetlight running down the side of my house as it causes me grief when trying to use my telescope and I mentioned that we hadn't been mentioned in the turn off from 12am to 5am.

They said that where I live will eventually be included, but it wasn't planned for the forthcoming year and it was too early to tell whether it would be the year after of the 4th year of the phase. They did offer to look at what they could do about the streetlight that is causing me a problem though, which was good of them. I am awaiting to hear further from them. I did even offer to pay for a light shield myself as I know that should make a huge difference.

So, I'll just have to wait and see what they propose

Chris

[euphony]

By 'make a huge difference' I don't mean it'll stop the glare from all the other lights into the sky, but that continual orange glow casting over to every part of my garden so that I have to wear sunglasses at 12am to try and not allow it to aggravate my eyes too much. Doesn't work particularly well though overall as I inevitable have to slide them off with my eyes closed as I lean towards the eyepiece and smack my eyebrow on the side of it, dropping the sunglasses and having to open my eyes to find where I dropped them!

[rory]

ive contacted local council twice now. and been totally ignored so far. even on the subject of a shield,as one lampost is within a few metres of our bedroom window,and it stays on all night. its a dead end pathway for crying out loud !

[Coco]

I would have probably succeed but the council asked the neighbours and they said they didnt have a problem...

[Hugechris]

Notts County Council have a 4 year programme to save 25% off their street lighting bill (equating to £1.25m per year using 2010/11 electricity prices). They go on about savings in CO2 emissions of aroundabout 5,800 tonnes per year, saving a further £70,000 on the purchase of carbon allowances. This link

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/travelling/roads/road-design-and-maintenance/street-lighting/energy-saving-project/

gives all the detail. Make no mistake this is a cost saving exercise but with an obvious spin off for astronomy. Despite their reasoning being financially based I consider they have thought through the lighting options well and they have decided they will include:

• Switching off completely some lights where they are no longer considered necessary.
  
• Dimming of some lights on main roads between the hours of 10pm and 7am when traffic flows are low and a lower level of lighting will not affect road safety.
  
• Switching off some lights between midnight and 5.30am (plus or minus 15 minutes) in residential areas in consultation with local communities.
  

They have said they will not to reduce the level of lighting in areas where there is an above-average level of crime or where there is a high risk of road traffic accidents and have an exceptions criteria exception criteria² have been developed in consultation with the emergency services and the Accident Investigation Unit and have been approved by the Council's Cabinet. I hope this detail helps you 'Hugechris'. I am pleased their research has led them away from using other replacement types of street lighting and in favour of turning lights off or having them dimmed.

Some villages have already had their lighting dimmed/turned off and I am looking forward to October when our ward has its lighting reduced (I think we are the first urban area to go 'dark'). The only concern raised against the proposals in this area has been by a ward councillor who has canvassed and found that a majority of residents are afraid it will encourage crime (while the national research shows this is not the case). I have written both to him and the County Council supporting the reduction in lighting and the benefits dark skies this will give to local astronomers and the oppotunities for schools to hold astronomy clubs and use it as a way to introduce science to children.

I'm seriously considering buying a light meter to monitor local lighting levels each night both before and after the lights are turned off.

P.S. Have you seen the Campaign for Dark Skies website? Very informative- http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/crime.html?7O

Cheers,

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thanks for this this is a very comprehensive study done by your local council, trawling through the website if my local council and the London mayors office I could not find anything near this approach. This is very encouraging a precedent always helps with an argument.

[The Sailor]

Request sent to county council, refused, end of story

Jim

[Disco]

I was in the garden with the scope and heard the church bells chime for 12 o'clock. On the twelve chime all the street lights went out! Caught me by surprise for a few seconds (watching too many horror films...), but the skies got even better

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pete Presland]

just emailed my MP hat a good idea thanks for sharing links and info.

[laser_jock99]

Powys County Council have a switch off programme running for two years now where basically two out three lights was switched off allogether in selected locations. There was a small amount of opposition causing the odd light to be re-instated but mostly the cost saving plan has been a accepted.

Warwickshire County Council have been slow on the take up of the cost saving benefits of a post midnight switch off. However they've recently anounced some 80% of lights will go off after midnight. As I am sometimes residing here I'll be keen to see what difference it makes.

http://www.warwicksh...rtnightlighting

I'll be writing to the Council & local papers either way to congratulate them on their first sensible decision!

Can I urge any other astronmers whose council introduce similar measures to contact thier council and say how pleased you are with the switch off?

We need to counteract all the negative correspondance they will undoubtably recieve from the 'moaning minnie' brigade.

[Hugechris]

There are clearly a large number of different councils with different priorities, the urban councils genuinely have to manage the risk of traffic accidents and to a lesser extent crime. However the density of lighting is greater and the savings greater that can be redirected to improved services.

I have approached my local council on the issue and will be keen to know their response / thoughts on the issues.

If the London boroughs looked at what they could achieve it would have a huge impact on the south east.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Nope lights still on round front also buss shelter thats middlesbrough.

and out back sometimes have neighbours spot lights anoyance going on and off they doing it on purpose making them go on as i seen them do it.

However i do have number from local council as they rang me other day talking to them about light pollutution i can if it gets too anoyance they can look into lighting do somet about it if it's invading me property which lighting does.

for now i leaving it and hope neighbours grow up.

I'll have to have words with neighbour again ask them to sheild the lighting or lower them. or i be putting bit wood on top of fence to block out light.

[Darkstar_1]

My garden has a streeetlight at each end of my fence, they are the white LED type and the glare is awful. Also , i have to contend with a neighbours security light The led lights are fine from a distance as light is aimed down, but when you are next to them they are horrendous. I don't think the council would alter the situation as they would say those lights are to help with LP.

[Beulah]

Can I urge any other astronmers whose council introduce similar measures to contact thier council and say how pleased you are with the switch off?

We need to counteract all the negative correspondance they will undoubtably recieve from the 'moaning minnie' brigade.

It's worth quoting this again, as public sector areas do appreciate the odd letter of encouragement when they do something right.

[Hugechris]

P.S. Have you seen the Campaign for Dark Skies website? Very informative- http://www.britastro...s/crime.html?7O

Cheers,

Steve

Hi Steve,

I have seen this site and signed the petition. With so many councils already introducing switch off times and region switch offs there will be some definitive statistics to argue the issues of traffic accidents / crime as well as people noticing how great the night sky is.

[umadog]

Definitive statistics, should they ever appear, will be years away. It's surprising the degree to which the same numbers can be used to argue two opposing points of view in complex issues such as these.

[Rapallokid]

I cant comment on large numbers of lights, but i manages to get a maintanance person to paint panes that face my property Black so minimising the direct glare.

it really helped.

[Hugechris]

For those that are interested in building their case to their council / MP, there are some interesting studies collected on this website http://www.weasner.com/etx/lp/index.html

[boltzy]

Still have them on all night down here in Cornwall, but there have been a number of posts from people saying that their lights go off at midnight. Would prefer they went off at 11pm myself, but at least it is a start.

I agree, 11pm would be better (not that they go off round my way, but I agree with the principle) - I don't have a problem staying up late, it's the getting up in the morning that's the problem!

[Pete Presland]

i know its only been a week, but i didn't even get an acknowledgement