Aye up! who turned out the lights?

[Welly]

My local Council have been racking their brains as to how to save a few pennies (and/or their carbon whatsit) so they decided to turn off 80% of the street lighting at night

A little Welly-investigation last night revealed an eery, subdued ambience kind of expectant of something bad going to happen out there I rushed back inside, locked the door, and tucked myself up in bed with the duvet pulled tight to my chin with just my wide staring eyes darting back and forth at the slightest noise.........

Now I can't remember what a Policeman looks like round our way (I think they've all been made redundant, either that or they can't afford the Petrol) but I'm pretty sure johnny petty-thief is gonna have a field day when the clocks go back and we're plunged into darkness.....

All this comes after they wasted money constructing speed bumps through the Village (which lasted 12 months) then dug them up again and filled in the holes (great! we all thought) only to be replaced with Super BumpTM a kinda off-the-shelf speed hump for beginners made from what appears to be playground safety matting with the ability to sponge up rainwater and release it in a comedy squishing noise when compressed.

My point? wasting money! 'fact-finding' trips to foreign parts, costly planning appeals, wasteful procedures, and who pays? we do of course

[/tiny rant]

[plod]

If they've got to do this, why can't they have a system where it turns out every other light?
At least it saves money, but doesn't overly compromise safety?

[plod]

It made me laugh with the speed cameras

The revenue from them goes straight to the treasury - which is estimated to be 100million

However, the money to operate them comes out of local goverment budgets.
This cost is estimated to be 39million

The cut backs in funding to local govt. is around 40%, and as such many councils are knocking speed cameras on the head, as it's a service they can't afford to keep on.

Thus the treasury is out of pocket by 61million

So surely, the govt should take on the reponsibility of paying for the "speed partnership" in order to keep the revenue coming in?
Or did I miss something, and this involves common sense, which sadly seems so lacking these days

[Doggy]

My local Council have been racking their brains as to how to save a few pennies (and/or their carbon whatsit) so they decided to turn off 80% of the street lighting at night

Lighting throughout the hours of darkness is particularly important as an aid to
crime prevention, policing and the general safety and comfort of the
community. In some limited situations a lighting installation may be
extinguished during certain periods of the night when usage is very low.
Where Crime prevention is an important consideration, however, lighting
should never be extinguished. (BS EN13201 5.4)
Unless alternative illumination is available from residents' own installations, Christmas lights
or nuisance illumination from vehicles, particularly Volvos
The BS clearly gives some latitude for dimming and in (10.13) continues to clarify the position for
dimming installations for traffic use, energy and where a higher lighting level is
required than can be obtained without detracting from the visual appearance.

Makes sense really.....

[teamster1975]

That almost sounds authentic doggy!

[FarmerPug]

i hate street lights, if im ever staying at a relatives house in belfast i cant sleep with streetlights, its good having only the moon lighting up the place at night out here in the country

[Welly]

Reminds me, need to order my next batch of Headlight H7's, I think I've only got 4 left

[Doggy]

That almost sounds authentic doggy!

It is authentic. well almost all of it anyway.

[steve_earwig]

Reminds me, need to order my next batch of Headlight H7's, I think I've only got 4 left

Not just 406s that eat headlamp bulbs then

[TooT]

I hate the orange sodium glow from street lights blazing in from around the curtains. I wish my council would switch them off but that is never going to happen, my local council are rolling in money they have just sold a chunk of land to Tesco for 19 million pounds. That will be 3 Tesco's we will have in as many miles

Edit. Just look at my avatar to get an idea of the orangeness

[FarmerPug]

why dont they change the colour at least to something at least less unpleasent i have seen clear ones that are dimmed down in portrush and they are much nicer but its hard to beat no streetlights

[steve_earwig]

[highlander]

Not just 406s that eat headlamp bulbs then

I've had my 406 for nearly 2 years, and have only recently changed one bulb (the right headlamp)

[CountryPug]

My pal and his gf went to France for a bit of a holiday last year and they said that all the villages near were they stayed turned their street lights off pretty sharpish, with the result that everyone stayed in and went to bed...if everyones in their house then less opportunity for thieves...?

[FarmerPug]

the french arent that mad after all, theres millions of pounds being spent on police in the uk and the french just turn the lights off so the criminals just walk into the lamp posts, and dont commit crimes, its genius.