Street lights

[kaelyn]

Ours go off at midnight/earlier if they forgot to change it for daylight savings, never seems to have caused a problem.

I prefer it, much easier to sleep without orange light blaring through your window, if for some reason I do want to go out at night I make sure I'm wearing something light coloured I can be seen in and use a separate torch or the one on my phone, though to be honest my lights adjust quickly enough anyway.

Makes no sense having a tonne of lights on that aren't being used at all 90% of the time in those hours, saves the planet and lets you see more stars!

 

[Crowort]

They aren't turning ours off but they seem to have stopped replacing the bulbs.

 

[Sliver]

I reported 3 faulty street lights in my street to my local council. It only took them 6 months to fix them. Result ! But 6 months ? WTF ?

 

[Tephnos]

They changed all mine from the orange ones to the white LEDs that are horrible at displacing light.

Seeing things in actual colour at night is weird.

 

[scorza]

Does anyone else have their street lights turned off at night?

Our council has started a pilot area (we are in it) where the street lights will be switched off between midnight and 5:30am.

At first I was OK with it, but now following a member of my family tripping over and the effects of no lighting, I am against it.

I kid you not, it is utterly pitch black along our road after midnight. It has become virtually impossible to walk along it and people even have to turn the torches on their phones to see the way from their drive to their front door.

I appreciate those of you who live in rural areas are used to this, but in an inner city area with adequate street lighting installed, I really do not think it's acceptable.

Has anyone else had this, frankly dangerous, measure forced upon them?

Yes, ours have been turned off about 1am for a number of years now. A few times I've got up super-early to go on holiday and been extremely grateful for having a torch on my keyring. It's quite amazing how dark night is when there's no lighting at all - makes you realise just how un-used to darkness we are in this country.

 

[Tephnos]

Yes, ours have been turned off about 1am for a number of years now. A few times I've got up super-early to go on holiday and been extremely grateful for having a torch on my keyring. It's quite amazing how dark night is when there's no lighting at all - makes you realise just how un-used to darkness we are in this country.

One time the power got cut off during a storm at 2am.

Having no LEDs in my bedroom made for a darkness I have never seen before.

 

[D1craig]

its because they are so obsessed with saving money by using the cheapest parts and then needing to turn them all off to save money. a few areas around Liverpool have had new white lights put in and they are LED so they save money and light up the street better.

they could upgrade the lights to better, cheaper to run versions instead of keeping the silly old orange lights they have had for years.

even turning every other light off would be better than turning them all off. doesnt make sense, especially with all the kidnappings and people going missing in recent years they are doing this at the cost or peoples safety.

 

[Gammawolf]

id rather they made them smart lights that saw cars comming and turn green, rather than just timed, takes the **** to sit at a junction on a red light at 3am with no cars comming the other way

Traffic lights do this already.

 

[TheVoice]

Install Clicklight on your Android phone for £1.50. Or there are plenty of ad-ware versions for free. No excuse, and it suffices as a torch.

£1.50 for a torch app? You'd have to be mental.

 

[PermaBanned]

Energy savings are one thing, but you also have to consider the reduction in light pollution which is often completely overlooked but has a huge impact on the local wildlife and ecosystem. And also local astronomers, but i don't want to be selfish

Timing is clearly an issue to be figured out though, they should be off when there's an absolute minimum need for them. I think the trial ones round here are off between 12 and 5AM, which seems to work quite well.

 

[Emjay86]

I would honestly just file a complaint with the council stating that someone has already gotten injured and you are concerned for the safety of yourself and others for similar issues, and the obvious risk of dodgy people doing dodgy stuff.

My previous house had a lane a few yards from it that was pretty long and ran between two high schools, none of the lights worked there and hadn't done (from what im told) for many years. First thing I did was complain to the council as frankly it was unsafe for kids to be going through. It was overgrown in parts and would be very easy for a sexual predator to assault someone at low light times.

Safe to say a few weeks later the whole lane was nice and bright. Still overgrown but that was another battle. I moved out before I could get fully into that one, im sure they are happy to hear that.

Councils have a duty to provide certain services and as such you should expect to receive them, especially when every year they raise the bloody charges for said 'services'. If theres an issue with it, put a complaint in.

 

[benneh]

Pff

You'll be wanting free air next!. Where will it end?!. Cheeky prole.

 

[ultralaser]

I'd rather they install wifi routers into street lights I don't know why the uk haven't done this yet. Personally I think all / most junctions should have a street light but that's all.

 

[dbmzk1]

I think they should turn them all off, no need for them, giant waste of electricity. Buy a torch and learn to walk properly!

 

[james.miller]

They did have them off in Harlow (Mrs has family there) but they are turning them back on now, apparently, at the cost of around £100k a year. expensive stuff!

£1.50 for a torch app? You'd have to be mental.

Type or say 'Torch on' in the google search bar. be amazed!

 

[Bluecube]

you do realise the human eye can adapt to darkness? It's not like we were wandering around bumping into stuff helplessly for thousands of years....

Sure it can. But there's darkness and then there's pitch black, can't see a damn thing darkness... Having spent a long time living in the country, I've experience much of the latter so I'm not sure it's a great idea turning off street lights especially on Friday and Saturday nights. It'd be chaos!

 

[jaybee]

On our estate they are kept on. I'd favour them being turned off as well. They are actually quite bright and without blackout curtains do light up one of our back bedrooms enough to not be able to sleep. Obviously it's also a waste of energy. People can use LED torches on their phone or better still buy and take a cheap small torch with them.

 

[Evian]

Who is wandering the streets between midnight and 5am? Criminals! You want them tripped up so its ok in that respect.

Secondly the amount of people without a torch on their phone is very slim these days.

I'd much rather one person had to use their torch than an entire street be lit for 6 hours a day for no purpose whatsoever.

Oh and those new led ones are a PITA, theres one just around the corner at the bottom of the road, looks like headlights so have to wait a good 10-15 secs longer every time just to make sure it isnt.

Well I walk my dog every night at 12.45am before bed, There is quite a few people out walking there dogs too.

 

[gothic_hobbit]

I do think Florescent lights should be taxed

I concur.

I can't stand fluorescent light at all.

 

[roadie]

Sounds good to me. A motion sensing lamp on the front of your house would solve all your problems.