Authorities switching off lights

[Starhoparfa]

I read something a few months back about authorities switching off street lights during the small hours, primarily to save money. Has this happened for anybody? If so, did it make any difference with all the other light sources coming from cars, businesses, homes and back gardens?

[Earl]

We have not had a switch off here, but so far the side streets have ben changed over to LED's these are directed straight down, tonight Visually was the best I have seen from here, if the main road also has the same done it will improvce things some more

[rory]

theres a few threads on this topic dotted about. theres a trend now it seems of u turns from some authorities after pressure and poor media propaganda about rising crime and more road deaths.

search the astro lounge ,theres a few interesting reads on street lighting.

heres a couple i found, but theres a stack of them .

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/154277-street-lighting-u-turn/page__st__20__hl__+street%20+lights#entry1560392

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/158195-overnight-street-light-switch-off-in-wiltshire-proposed/page__hl__+street%20+lighting#entry1599080

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/157838-the-influence-of-street-lighting/page__hl__+street%20+lighting#entry1596166

[lancerde]

In the small north German town where I live they turn off most of the lights after midnight. Only the street lights on the high street and on junctions remain on. Nice for me as I live right on the edge of town on a side street with fields opposite. Lovely view of the milky way last night.

[Capricorn]

The ones here get switched off at midnight.

No great difference as the garden is too enclosed to use a scope.

Makes a difference for more casual observing with binoculars. or just eyes, after midnight.

Still find it better to drive away in case people wonder what you are doing with binoculars in a residential area.

Suspect that the local astronomy club find it a great advantage to them if they have events on that are running after midnight now. They have the use of a suitable place on the edge of town and if the lights there go out then much darker all of a sudden.

[cotterless45]

Derbyshire ok'd this about a year ago, but nothing else has happened.

There's been complaints from folk worried about saftey and burgalry. Pity that they didn't speak up when the forms came out.

I personally hate all night lights that are not directly directed at unsafe junctions or crime laden areas.

Why some folk are obsessed by lighting up their gardens and surrounds, I'll never know.

Nick.

[crashtestdummy]

in my part of west yorkshire there is no sign of this but it would be welcomed by myself and most of the council bean counters but the crime worry is always going to be used to keep them switched on,obviously burglars are affraid of the light.cars surely have lights for those times where there arent street lights!!

[m12_shakes]

I can't say anything has happened in Leicestershire (Charnwood Borough) either, unfortunate really.

I was just speaking to my dad about LP the other day, and we both agreed that after 00:30, the lights should be switched off, or at least 75% of them.

[Matt Scunthorpe]

Even if they did turn them off, at weekends, or friday and saturday nights they would probably be left on longer as more people walking home during the night than on a weekday

[jabberwocky]

My experience is that as the street lights go off, the number of security lights on houses goes up

[mallorcasaint]

Sidmouth in Devon has started switching off the lights at midnight. Certainly makes a difference to the sky glow at the NLO!

[Beulah]

My experience is that as the street lights go off, the number of security lights on houses goes up

'Fraid so. I live in a dark sky area (no street lights) and these blummin' lights have driven me to observe in more remote locations. I'm lucky to have generous farmers around me who let me use their land.

Par for the course though. It is incredibly selfish for me to expect everyone to turn their lights off just for little 'ole me.

[vince 66]

I read a while ago that Worcester city council had decided against turning off the lights as this woulkd cost them 3.4 million a year to do it. How they have arrived at this figure I don't know. Perhaps some one could throw some light on the subject.

[Donkeiller]

In Cambridge we have just had our streetlights updated.

I used to have a LP Sodium lamp at the end of my garden.

It's now been replaced with one that emits a more or less white

light.

This is a real pain as it emits at wavelengths that go straight through

my Lumicon UHC filter- which was perfect for blocking the sodium's light.

RATS!

Complaint already submitted to Council

[jabberwocky]

My neighbour has just fitted two floodlights to their house that light up half the neighbourhood, on off on off all bloomin night, fortunately they are on the back of their house so don't affect me, the light by their front door that now is on all night and that does affect me, so I cover it with a towel when I'm observing. I dread to think what their leccy bill is!

[ely_ellis]

I find these flood lights to be invasive.

One of the houses that backs on to mine has fitted floodlights to light their garden.

Unfortunatly it lights up my 6 year olds bedroom. I have had to fit roller blinds to try to stop it. Very invasive I think.

If it carries on, I may have to go round and ask them to change the angle of it or turn it off.

Surely there must be some law against shining floodlights into peoples houses.

As for stargazing, when the light is on... its a no go!

Oh, if changing streetlights to LED's, will we require a whole new bread of LP filter ?

Cheers all.

Martin

[ronaldo999]

How can switching the lights off cost more money????? surely they would be saving money and energy

[earth titan]

If they pose a nuisance, a quick chat normally solves the problem. If not, contact local council and cite as a nuisance.

Typed by me, using fumms...

[Jake Bullit]

Have a look on your local councils website ,you may have a chance to influence lighting decisions ,as in our local Sefton Council.

[Hugechris]

I had a similar problem with a neighbour setting up a triggered security light in his garden, that would blind me the moment I would step outside in my own garden !

I had the cunning plan of letting the cats out at night to roam. This triggered his light so frequently (he has an all glass wall facing the garden for his TV room) that it drove him spare and has now switched it off.

My London skies are just a bit easier to see, now worried about my other neighbours that have stranger nocturnal pass times than me.

[ronaldo999]

Just make sure you are not pointing your telescope in their direction !!!!!

[Hugechris]

no Embarrassing moments yet, apart from one of the cats running off with a very personal piece of clothing from the neighbours washing line

In keeping with the thread I wrote to my council about switching off the lights in certain areas &/ times but no response, I am going to escalate to the local MP.

[AndrewG]

We live in NE Derbyshire and they updated our street lights about 10 days ago and they now go off between midnight and 5.30am which is brilliant; although not all lights are out (it apears that ones on steet corners are left on, maybe for safety) it has made quite a difference on the one night we have had some clear weather.

Hopefully all other authorities will follow suit and make the night sky clearer for all.

AndrewG

[ollypenrice]

I live at a dark site in South East France but it got even darker last year when the village lights started to be turned off. It's so dark anyway that the benefit was tiny but it's a nice bonus.

The motivation didn't really come from the village trying to help us but from the regional tourist board trying to make astronomy a local attraction. There is a scheme afoot to award 'starry village' status to villages who operate a minimum lighting policy and there is a star party (actually my idea ) to give this theme a boost. Tied in with astronomy is the theme of the 'skies of our region' since paraglider and hang glider pilots seem to like the same conditions as we do, only in the afternoons when the thermals are rising.

Olly

[SteveNickolls]

Hi,

The Notts scheme started to roll out then earlier this year two well publicised things happened that have currently derailed the roll out across the rest of the county. First an unfortunate attack which the young victim ascribed to the lack of street lighting then a whole village got the county to make a 'U-turn' to turn their lights back on.These produced quite a bit of local publicity by BBC radio but no airing of the underlying security/safety issues.

I learned about the decision from a local councillor (there was nothing on the county website) that the lighting issues were being discussed with the areas affected and in the meantime the roll out (we were due to have our lights turned off in October) would be halted. The councillor had been canvassing on the safety and crime matters! I have written to the council asking that they raise the thorny issue that most people think more light means less crime and better personal safety-something not necessarily borne out in studies/reports. If we have informed discussions we have the change to argue and help lay to rest the unfounded fears that the back of the complaints.

It is a shame as the Notts scheme was well thought out, they had done their research and even stated (if anyone cared to read about the scheme) that they would look at problem areas as they arose.

Cheers,

Steve