Have your say: Should the lights go out in YOUR street?
Bradley Stoke Town Council’s public drop-in session to discuss proposals for part-night street lighting takes place tomorrow (Saturday 4th December) from 10am to 2pm at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road.
South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) suggestion that Bradley Stoke might like to introduce an overnight switch-off of selected streetlights was met with a frosty reception earlier this year when some Councillors said they would only support the scheme if the money saved was used to benefit Bradley Stoke alone and not the whole of South Gloucestershire.
Despite these concerns, the Town Council launched a public consultation on the proposals in October and maps showing the streets where lights could go off have been available on the Council website for the last two months.
Saturday’s drop-in session at the Jubilee Centre will have the maps on display and residents will be able to discuss the proposals with councillors and officials.
A consultation feedback form was included in the October edition of the Town Council newsletter and replies may also be submitted online via the Council’s website. Responses must be made by Friday 10th December and the Council says it hopes to publish the results by the second week of January.
Implementation of the scheme by South Gloucestershire’s lighting department could then start as early as April 2011.
The initial list of streets to be included in the scheme has been drawn up based on a set of criteria that include road safety and crime history factors [full list here].
Looking at the maps, the principal exceptions are roads with traffic calming measures: Brook Way, Bowsland Way, Wheatfield Drive, Dewfalls Drive, Fiddlers Wood Lane, Champs Sur Marne, Baileys Court Road, Webbs Wood Road and Juniper Way.
Further street-level consultation meetings are likely to be held in cases where residents ask for the lights to be kept on despite all the criteria for a switch-off being satisfied.
Lights that are converted to part-night operation will switch off for a five hour period that is nominally defined as midnight to 5am but can vary slightly according to the time of year.
The benefits of the scheme are said to be two-fold:
- reduced carbon emissions; and
- reduced energy costs
SGC estimates that for each individual street light conversion there will be a 40% reduction in both carbon emissions and energy costs.
Part-night street lighting maps issued by SGC:
- Map 1 (North) [PDF, 5.6MB]
- Map 2 (Central) [PDF, 5.6MB]
- Map 3 (South) [PDF, 5.8MB]
Yet again another stupendously ‘not-so-bright’ idea from the council!!
Of course – whatever feedback us as tax payers give – won’t be listened to anyway!
What a crock yet again! 🙁
I’ve got to say that I fully support this idea. There’s no need to light most streets all through the night. Turning many streetlights off during the proposed midnight to 5am period brings economic, environmental and ecological benefits.
If genuine problems do “come to light” then lamps or streets can be re-lit, but otherwise it will show that we can actually do without them and that some prior fears or concerns were unfounded.
Well done SGC and BSTC 🙂
I am sorry to hear that Matt thinks it is ‘not a bright idea’. About 20 residents called in to the Jubilee Centre to review both the plans for the ‘Street Lighting’ and the Consultation with regards to the way ahead for the location of Town Council Offices. As has been pointed out, Council have taken great steps to make residents aware of this, have consulted widely, and will provide accurate details of what the residents want to happen in the New Year.
What’s in it for Bradley Stoke? Nowt I’d guess! Just darker streets for criminals/yobs to operate in and darker roads which can affect road safety. Still we may be able to see the stars on a clear night!
Any chance of South Gloucestershire Council passing on any savings made to residents by way of reduced council tax? Don’t hold your breath!