Street lights out for Shropshire roads
Controversial plans to switch off 12,500 street lights after midnight across Shropshire to save £125,000 a year will start next month, it was announced today.
Controversial plans to switch off 12,500 street lights after midnight across Shropshire to save £125,000 a year will start next month, it was announced today.
Shropshire Council is pressing ahead with its plans to turn off 70 per cent of its 18,500 street lights between midnight and 5.30am. The switch-off will start on June 18.
Villages to the south of Shrewsbury such as Bayston Hill, Minsterley and Pontesbury will be the first to convert to ‘part-night’ lighting, followed by south Shropshire, including Church Stretton, Craven Arms and Ludlow, from July.
Street lights in large parts of Shrewsbury will be turned off by the end of the year, in Copthorne, Radbrook, Harlescott and Ditherington, with the remainder going in the next year. Bridgnorth and Whitchurch, Ellesmere, Wem and Market Drayton will switch off in 2014-15.
The county roll-out, which will cost £250,000 over four years, follows a successful pilot scheme in Church Stretton, with council chiefs claiming it will reduce energy use by 20 per cent and save almost 1,000 tonnes of carbon each year.
But fears have been raised that it will lead to a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour. Shropshire Councilors for Wem, Pauline Dee, said: “People are concerned because they are used to lights being on all night.”
The changes will be carried out by council contractor Ringway, but not every light will be affected, with more than 6,000 staying on.
Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for street lighting, said: “I hope people understand the benefits these changes will have.
“It will reduce carbon emissions, save energy costs, and help stargazers see the sky.
“We’ve had discussions with the emergency services and town and parish councils about which lights are in the scheme, and a lot of work has gone in so things like dangerous road junctions are not included.”
Comments for: "Street lights out for Shropshire roads"
carrie
i don't think it right truning off the light so ealy because that more people can get into megive on the strees.
Squire
Please can someone translate this into one of the more widely recognised languages, ideally English?
Benbow Tom
If you're going to comment please try to at least construct a sentence that makes sense.
Anyway I think this is a good step forward. Where lights remain switched on they should be replaced by LED lights that use a fraction of the energy and are directional so don't create unnecessary light pollution.
Teacher
Correction:
I don’t think it is right turning off the lights so early because then more people can get into mischief on the streets.
Stay back after school & write this as your ‘lines’ 200 times… ;-)
Grim Reaper
May I suggest you give consideration to expressing any comments you may have to make in English.
Sammy
How many do i see on in the middle of the day! Turn them off first.
Karlos Marx
"help stargazers see the sky"
I had to read this twice, clearly Simon Jones lives in cloud cuckoo land. The increase in crime will far outweigh these so-called 'savings'.
I wonder if these 'savings' will mean a reduced council bill for shropshire residents. Maybe pigs do fly...
Bad-Timing
A bit unfair to single out stargazers perhaps?
As a keen amateur astronomer I'm delighted at the news.
And on the crime going up part, citation?
Den
They have been doing this in Bury St Edmunds where I live and it is a good idea.
Grim Reaper
Bury St.Edmunds - was there last year - a lovely place to live. Switching off the street lights for part of the night is long overdue. As for increasing crime, what are we expecting - Fagin and his gang running amok or perhaps Jack the Ripper stalking the unlit, fog shrouded streets of Ludlow or Shrewsbury? Unlikely.
Squire
Turn off all lighting on motorways, dual carriageways and major roads. My car is fitted with fantastic technology called 'headlights' and once turned on they remove the requirement for other lighting.
mark
lets turn a few bulbs off to save a few quid.
while at the same time wasting millions on an olympic stadium just for some games,private security,police,military & heavy weapons like missiles,warships,boats,aircraft,helicopters, electric fencing,brand new cars to drive the elite to the games.
then theres the queens jubilee parties all over the country & the cost of security for all that lot.
i thaught we are all meant to be in this money saving to help the economy together?.when will the toff's start gutting back & saving?.
Steve
Get a life and use some proper grammar please. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom or you will run yourself and others down with you.
mark
oh look i found an internet troll.
kid,at least i have an opinion on the subject at hand,you on the other hand only have a baiting pointless remark about grammar.
Burglar
this is an comment section on a website, not an english exam you pillock
in your dreams
How about getting rid of the cabinet members for street lighting, that are rolling this out that will probably save 200k !!!
and as for helping Stargazers how many Stargazers are up after mid night except the drunks!!!!
James
Me for one!
Kelly
Me too!
Wolves Fan Telford
Why have I only just found out about this?
I'm always kept in the Dark!
Who's bright idea was this then?
James
The new lighting on the Tileries estate in Broseley no longer produces an orange glow, but instead a garish false daylight white which is stupidly bright. Unfortunately Broseley council dont see fit to turn our lighting off.
I'd love to have total darkness and to be able to see the Milkyway. We survived centuries without street lights and we have always had street crime.
Martin
While they are at switch off the traffic lights on islands during the same period, quite frustrating sitting at a red light at 2.00am when there is not traffic on the island.
bright spark
here here.they could turn a few off during the day as well,they could start with meole island traffic flowed so much better when they wern,t working
Tyrone Shoelaces
Or maybe do as is done in many States in the US, have a flashing amber light that means treat the junction as if it has Stop signs - basically stop and then proceed in the order the vehicles arrived at the junction.
Or in the case of a roundabout, treat it like a roundabout.
Nigel
Totally agree, some of these islands in Telford have over 30 lamps lit at any one time, with about 1 car (usually mine!!) waiting to pull off to the next red one, could do 'peak time operation'. Got to ne a sensible idea.
bob
Shropshire is dark in some areas anyway but will be even darker with the switch off. get out into the countryside after midnight and marvel at the Milky Way stretching across the sky...
We might be able to apply for Dark Sky Park status - which would lead to astro-tourism and an increase in revenue.
What hasn't been mentioned is the positive impact on the wildlife. And you'll find the human wildlife that gathers under brightly lit street lights will become extinct, thus leading to a drop in crime and disorderly behaviour.
It's all good news and I am delighted.
ade the shades
Congratulations to the local council for turning Shropshire into a criminals paradise maybe they should cut the councillors allowances first!
Silly Sarah
"The county roll-out, which will cost £250,000 over four years"
Why does it cost money to switch the lights off? Please explain.
charles
they pay to put a timer on each light I think
Soapbox John
There is already a timer in each light, they are paying some one to change the times and 10 people to manage him.
Silly Sarah
Thank you. I can sleep now!
pete
What a load of hot air , instead of gassing about why hasn't all local government adopted this simple green policy ?
Lord Crocker
This isn't a green policy it's about cost saving. Apart from light polution this does nothing for the environment.
shaun
Typical find your own way in the dark , bring on the road traffic accidents why don't they just admit this is what its all about.
The Original Jake
Torch (optional).
Headlights (legally required).
Problem solved.
RubyPTcruising
Whats the big deal about turning off the street lights? When I was younger there were NO lights along the roads, wasn't a problem then why is it deemed a problem now? Do owners of vehicles not put their lights on when driving in the dark? What is wrong with people today??
Gary
We suffer from vandalism (cars/property)and filth, mostly in the early mornings when they pour out of the pubs and clubs. Now I see we are to have our street lighting (that we pay for) turned off. With the complete lack of proactive policing its becoming more of must to move out of the area. Thanks Council - under cover of a 'green' banner your only care is money to pay for your own over inflated excutive wages and pensions.
Tyrone Shoelaces
Could they turn off every other light and dim the remaining ones on motorways, dual carrigeways,....?
Alan Brown
fine by me
who's out at 3 am anyway ?
i applaud the council for finally getting to grip with such wasteful expenditure, i dont care about the green issue but this is MY / our money they are burning every night here
charles
prudent, efficient, sensible, invisible, clean, green, aesthetic, minimal, financial, good decision
well done all involved
clever Clive
I am an amateur Astronomer so this news is quite pleasing but with this proposed switching off of the lights in our County, i ask this will our council tax be reduced as i believe we pay for street lighting could this be a saving for jo public i suspect not.
Why will it COST so much MONEY to turn a switch please can you explain.
Get a grips Shropshire council save the money and don't be a bunch of spendthrifts.
Katherine de Gama
This is bound to lead to more muggings and sexual assaults. Btw re responses to first comment, autocorrects ccme up with some strangeq things!
Kelly
They wouldn't need to do this if they weren't wasting so much on non jobs, benefits and public sector pensions.
CJ
Lets hope the footpaths are in tip top condition with all these street lights being turned off. With people walking about the place after midnight. It could cost the Council more than £125,000 in compensation claims. No savings there then.
JOHN JONES
We had the blackouts, thanks to leaders of the miners and power unions in the 1970s, all it seemed to achieve was an increase in the birth rate amongst the young people.
Burglar
Thank you Shropshire Council for making my life a lot easier
julian
Either you are being ironic and perhaps don't realise that in other parts of the country where they have already tried this, the crime rate actually seems to drop.
Or, you are indeed a burglar, in which case your IP address will have been logged and the Shropshire Star are duty bound to report you to the police, who will be able to request your phone number based on the IP address.
So which is it? Ill-informed, or stupid?
Gary
And you would seriously expect the police to react to an obvious joke. They have problems reacting to actual crime - sending in their light blue badged, low-paid, underlings. Now who is being stupid Julian?
grumpy old man
OOOPs, time for a sense of humour transplant, Julian, me thinks!
Kelly
None of the studies so far show any increase in crime where street lights have been turned off. Some have even shown the opposite.
Gary
The only place crime has dropped with reduced lighting is the M5!
Soapbox John
At least now you can tell the difference in the light if you hit a badger or a cycliest as neither have lights!
HARD HITTER
with all these drain covers being stolen at the moment it will be easy to point the finger and claim any injuries hopefully not deaths to the cost cutting council all ways the same money first SAFETY 2ND!!
cath
fine
i will be in bed so wont notice
alan
20 yrs + as a highway engineer tells me this is an accident waiting to happen
BurglarBill
Ideal solution for Burglars that need the cover of Darkness!!!!!
Hazel
If people are scared of thieves, then upgrade your security, flood lights that are motion sensored are a good idea. That way while your walking up to your house after midnight then your own lights will turn on.
As for the cost savings not being passed to us, this is to save money, therefore reduce our debts. Which will help all of us in the long run.
The council have already done tests. And I highly doubt they would continue with plans to turn off street lights if crime in that area rose.