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Part Night Lighting Essex

Scooot

By Scooot
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Tddun

Tddun

Posted
Posted

Thanks very much for that Ian, will get an email across to that contact.

Will await to hear from them, and head down there hopefully next clear opportunity.

And yep noted points about that other location, being a through road, with no real parking.

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jnb

jnb

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Well I went out at 11.45 at strangely could see more stars already than I usually do.. maybe because of good conditions, but when the switch off came, I didn't notice any initial difference at all.. but I think after 10-15 minutes I noticed more stars, and towards the horizon defiantly looked darker

Three effects complicate that. One is that after 10-15 minutes you will be more dark adapted, the second is that even without dark adaptation you will inevitably see more stars as time goes on as you get your bearings. The third is that, if it anything like it is here, the switch off is not exact so lights can still be on half an hour after they should go out simply because the timers are not set that accurately.

The photo comparison is a better guideline.

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Scooot

Scooot

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Dont think it happened, I have a clear view for quite a long way south east towards the 127, i was specifically looking around midnight but also had a look around 2am. The orange glow was just as bad and i could see the tops of street lights in the distance.

Maybe tonight :grin:  

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Scooot

Scooot

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I think perhaps they went out last night, although I can't be sure because when I looked out it was thick fog. I woke just before 4 and it was pitch black (apart from the glow of my neighbours driveway lights above their house, Grr). Even with the fog I would have thought I'd see some sign of lighting but there was nothing south easterly or west where I looked. It was very dark!

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Tddun

Tddun

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Well I take back what I initially thought, had a look out at 1.30am, and I could probably see the same amount of stars I saw the first time last week. However it's dawned on me that actually it has made a huge difference to the amount of stars I can see, I just think last week I didn't really appreciate how much of a change the absence of street lighting made.

Tried getting in touch with the contact on that website, but apparently they are closed for the winter. Ian, Don't suppose you know anywhere else in that area that would be good just to park the car up for 10 minutes, simply to look out the window. Would be nice just to see what the stars are like there, then I can come back another time for an actual observing session and get out the car.

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Scooot

Scooot

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Ha ha that's funny, I went to bed earlier last night and woke up about that time and when I looked out I thoughtit it had gone darker and they had gone out. There were a few street lights still on. I was looking towards pips hill. Wishful thinking perhaps

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IanL

IanL

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There seems to be some confusion here about when the scheme starts in various areas.  The current info on the Essex CC web site is as follows:

- Chelmsford and Braintree - part night lighting in effect.
- Colchester - part night lighting in effect.
- Basildon - starting date to be confirmed.
- Epping Forest and Castle Point - starting date 2 Jan 2014.
- A127 - two-year trial starting w/c 16 December 2013.
- A13 - two-year trial starting date to be confirmed.
- Rochford and Tendring - 6 January 2014.
- Brentwood and Harlow - 10 February 2014.

So Basildon and the A127 are yet to start (Basildon seems to be determined to fight this to the bitter end where most local councils have gone along with it after a bit of whingeing and a few concessions from the CC).  The up to date info is here:

http://www.essexhighways.org/Transport-and-Roads/Roads-and-Pavements/Street-lighting/Part-night-lighting.aspx

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IanL

IanL

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Well I take back what I initially thought, had a look out at 1.30am, and I could probably see the same amount of stars I saw the first time last week. However it's dawned on me that actually it has made a huge difference to the amount of stars I can see, I just think last week I didn't really appreciate how much of a change the absence of street lighting made.

Tried getting in touch with the contact on that website, but apparently they are closed for the winter. Ian, Don't suppose you know anywhere else in that area that would be good just to park the car up for 10 minutes, simply to look out the window. Would be nice just to see what the stars are like there, then I can come back another time for an actual observing session and get out the car.

When they say 'closed for the winter' I suspect they mean that the main walks around the sea wall are closed, which I think they do to protect the over-wintering birds from disturbance.  They can't physically close the site since it is a public right of way as far as the farm, and the last time I went down there (a few years ago admittedly) there was no gate on the track to the small car park near the barn.  You might just chance it for a look see - they can't stop you going down as far as the farm and parking there at the very least, since it is a public right of way. I can't really see that anyone is going to object since you aren't causing a nuisance or an obstruction, but there is always a possibility of getting some hassle from the farmer I suppose.

I don't really know anywhere else in the vicinity that isn't right next to the road and subject to disturbance due to car lights and passers by.

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zakkhogan

zakkhogan

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i love how they keep changed the dates...  

There seems to be some confusion here about when the scheme starts in various areas.  The current info on the Essex CC web site is as follows:

- Chelmsford and Braintree - part night lighting in effect.
- Colchester - part night lighting in effect.
- Basildon - starting date to be confirmed.
- Epping Forest and Castle Point - starting date 2 Jan 2014.
- A127 - two-year trial starting w/c 16 December 2013.
- A13 - two-year trial starting date to be confirmed.
- Rochford and Tendring - 6 January 2014.
- Brentwood and Harlow - 10 February 2014.

So Basildon and the A127 are yet to start (Basildon seems to be determined to fight this to the bitter end where most local councils have gone along with it after a bit of whingeing and a few concessions from the CC).  The up to date info is here:

http://www.essexhighways.org/Transport-and-Roads/Roads-and-Pavements/Street-lighting/Part-night-lighting.aspx

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IanL

IanL

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To be fair, I don't think it is Essex CC's fault about the dates changing.  As far as I can see they have done a fairly good job of communicating the changes and planned dates in advance, only to have local councillors object right at the last minute.

Some of the objections are perfectly reasonable, such as the streets with CCTV in Colchester plus some of the main approach roads which aren't dual carriageways, BUT there was plenty of time for the BC's to raise this when the plans were first published, rather than a week or two before the start date.  It's just the usual tl;dr stuff we all get from people in power (whether at work or in politics), i.e. they only wake up and take notice at the last minute when they realise something really is happening and they might get some flak for it.

Then there are the rest - if you read the comments in the "PNL Consultation Summary" documents under each area, you'll see that 95% of are just NIMBY stuff from individual councillors that were clearly not within the rules of the scheme but that they knew would play well with their voters, i.e. "I'm fighting for you, but the county council is evil and doesn't care." seems to be the tone of most of what has been in the papers, etc.  Never mind that we are all paying for the colossal waste of energy and money that unnecessary lighting causes (even those of us who don't have any lighting in our area are paying - not that I want it of course).

The next thing I expect will happen is that there will be a statistically insignificant (in the mathematical sense) up-tick in crime or road accidents in some areas, and then the baying for the lights to come back on will start from the same NIMBYs who opposed them going off.  Never mind facts or rational thinking in all this, it's politics after all and there are votes to be won.

Rant over.

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zakkhogan

zakkhogan

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someone was telling me the other day that there has been an increase in burglarys in wickedford in the past 4 weeks. The 1st thing i thought was thank good the lights didnt go out when planned as the crimes would have been attributed to it..

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bamus

bamus

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On the way back from work I have heard on the radio that Kent County Council will also introduce part time night street lighting next year. When it will finally work on both sides of the Thames we might have quite dark spot in SE England :)

Wysłane z mojego GT-I9505 przy użyciu Tapatalka

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Tddun

Tddun

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On the way back from work I have heard on the radio that Kent County Council will also introduce part time night street lighting next year. When it will finally work on both sides of the Thames we might have quite dark spot in SE England :) Wysłane z mojego GT-I9505 przy użyciu Tapatalka

Also another plus, the more council's that introduce it, surely will only increase barganing power for Council's (like Essex) to ignore complaints to turn them back on, if part night lightning starts to become more widespread.

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