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Councils switching off streetlights?

Uranium235

By Uranium235
in The Astro Lounge

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Carbon Brush

Carbon Brush

Posted
Posted

Lots of councils are considering turn off, dimming, etc. A rather smaller number have done something.

Nottinghamshire County Council are considering and deciding tomorrow. after rejecting the idea in 2007, who knows? Maybe the empty cash box will help?

The best way to get anything done is to write to your councillor, write to your MP, etc. Include photos of poor lighting schemes. Give them evidence of the financial and environmental costs.

pester them into submission!!!b

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russ

russ

Posted
Posted

Would be great if they turned off 50% of the lights in Eastleigh. Hmm, i think i'll send an email to our Chief Street Lighting Engineer to see where we stand in Hampshire. Will report back when i get a reply.

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Dons255

Dons255

Posted
Posted

having read this, had to check... my council are, apparently, running a 3 year programme to replace all council lights with variable intensity white lights, shielded to reduce skyglow AND, most interestingly, offering communities the ability to have them switched off in residential areas, etc although no process or application route info is available at this time (my village, typically, is scheduled for switchover in 2012, at the end of the programme).

Their primary aim being money saving (not that I'm complaining).

The Invest to Save project will result in Cornwall being a leader in carbon reduction, cutting our emissions and becoming a pioneer in street lighting management.

The project involves the replacement of street lighting lamps throughout the county with a new lamp technology and control system which will enable us to vary the levels of light, switch lights on and off at any desired time and monitor the exact energy comsuption of the units.

For further information please see our link

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Doug

Doug

Posted
Posted

Council's know how to waist Money and it is your money they are waisting, if they don't spend there budget they have to give it back

A small town would save well over a million a year if they turned off street lights

Between Midnight and 05:00

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johninderby

johninderby

Posted
Posted

While the streetlights in Derby aren't going to be dimmed or switched off some of the local politicians are certainly very dim indeed.

*******************************************************

Quote

" A 3 MILLION pounds scheme which would have seen street lights in Derby dimmed or switched off at certain times to save energy has been scrapped. The city council had agreed to look into plans to spend Pounds 3 million on a control system which would allow it to change the lighting levels in different areas at certain times.

It estimated it could save £137,000 and 839 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year through measures including dimming lights by up to 25 per cent between 8pm and midnight, and by 50 per cent from midnight to 5.30am.

Councillor Chris Poulter, cabinet member in charge of neighbourhoods, said the plans did not stack up.

"We took the decision not to progress with it because it doesn't make sense financially," he said. "It would have required going round the lights already installed and retro-fitting the necessary equipment all round the city. There would have been no point in just having it in certain areas.

"To do that would have cost 3 million pounds but the savings would take years and years to get back and it is not worth it, it doesn't stack up.

"In times when money is tight it was a no-brainer to scrap these plans."

*************************************************

Oh and BTW the council is in the middle of replacing all the streetlights with brand new ones. :blob10:

John

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MG1

MG1

Posted
Posted

And if you want to know what they're up to try theyworkforyou.co.UK I think

If you're looking to lobby for dark skies get in touch with the campaign for dark skies. And CPRe in rural locations.

M

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klytus

klytus

Posted
Posted

I sent a suggestion regards the reduction to street lighting hours to my town mayor here in Doncaster (yea i will name and shame my home town if need be) twice, needless to say i've yet to receive any sort of reply. Pathetic at best, downright ignorant at worst :blob10: .

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

Posted
Posted

Well I doubt much will happen - as usual the 'safety fascists' are out in force claiming that you will be beaten up by child molesters if you dont illuminate the whole worlkd with 10 million candlapower arclamps and the road traffic casulatiues will equal the fisrt day of the Somme etc.

This is the curse for Councils - just another one really - half the population want the streetlights off to avert global catastrophe and the half want them turned up even brighter to prevent crime and/pr to make roads safe.

Problem with the 'cuts' is everyone is perfectly happy to see services cut so long as its not the ones they use.

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russ

russ

Posted
Posted

I had a reply from the Chief Street Lighting Engineer for Hampshire, who said there are no plans to switch off any lights in Hampshire or any of it's Districts. But they do plan to dim lights by 25% in most areas between the hours of 0:00 and 5:00.

Anything is better than nothing, so I'll take that. :blob10:

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Carbon Brush

Carbon Brush

Posted
Posted
I think that at least a policy of Reduced Lighting should be Legislation

I would second that. I have two replies (separated by two years) from county council professionals to my complaints to Notts county council about wasteful lighting schemes. In both cases the replies included phrases that could be summed up as:

It's not my fault. I'm only doing what I am told by the government. All lighting installed to BS whatever. This road class xyz requires lighting to standard abc.

Of course all of this makes perfect sense to Joe Public and to the councillors who vote on these schemes and keep the professionals in work.

This is why I am getting my MP into the loop.

If you are interested in getting something done about light pollution, please read my post

http://stargazerslounge.com/suggestions/113362-light-pollution-reports-action.html

Maybe co-ordinating information will help?

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shaunster

shaunster

Posted
Posted
I had a reply from the Chief Street Lighting Engineer for Hampshire, who said there are no plans to switch off any lights in Hampshire or any of it's Districts. But they do plan to dim lights by 25% in most areas between the hours of 0:00 and 5:00.

Anything is better than nothing, so I'll take that. :blob10:

Thats interesting Russ, recently around here people have been up at the lights installing new stuff, mainly new white bulbs but maybe fitting dimmers as well!

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russ

russ

Posted
Posted

He didn't give a time frame for when the dimming would start but they are currently reviewing the dimming levels and the areas to be dimmed. Hopefully its something we will see next year. But things move real slow in government, so who knows when it will happen.

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russ

russ

Posted
Posted
Thats interesting Russ, recently around here people have been up at the lights installing new stuff, mainly new white bulbs but maybe fitting dimmers as well!

I asked the question of time scales and areas to be dimmed. Here's the response:

Russell

Works to upgrade and replace the lanterns are already underway in Basingstoke and Gosport. Works to complete the whole authority will be completed by 2015.

Many thanks

So that's the whole of Hampshire with upgraded lanterns and dimmed lighting by 2015.

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