Work begins soon on 'intelligent' street lighting system
Monday, 3rd October 2011.
Work starts this month to fit the system which will see large areas of street lighting in Haverhill turned off late at night.
Contractors working on behalf of Suffolk County Council will soon be seen installing an 'intelligent street lighting system' to control the street lights around Haverhill.
The system which will be rolled out across the town in four stages from the week beginning October 17 up to November 28, will allow the council to switch off some street lights, dim some street lights or leave them on remotely.
It has already successfully been rolled out across Suffolk, including Eye, Needham Market and parts of Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich.
The lights will have fully adjustable settings, which means that settings can be altered for different days of the week, take account of British Summertime, or set street lights to stay on for longer, for instance for events or at Christmas and New Year.
All street lights owned by Suffolk County Council that are six metres in height or below are to be switched off between the hours of midnight and 5.30am.
The council will be using the following criteria to consider whether lights should be kept on for a longer period:
• Lights at major junctions/roundabouts;
• In town centres with CCTV, high security businesses such as banks, areas of high night-time pedestrian usage, for example near nightclubs and train stations, outside community facilities or Leisure Centres;
• Areas where street lights are needed to reduce road accidents;
• Areas where there could be an increase in crime through reduced lighting, such as pubs and specific residential areas;
• Remote alleys linking residential streets;
• Near pedestrian crossings, footbridges, subways;
• In public car parks;
• At bus stops;
• At level crossings, speed humps and traffic lights;
• Where there is sheltered housing for the elderly.
The decision about which street lights to keep on and which should be switched off has been made in consultation with local town and parish councils, Suffolk police and local county councillors.
The county council says it is moving to this new system in order to save money - it estimates it will save £550,000 a year in energy bills - and to save carbon.
Suffolk has an ambition to reduce its carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025 and the introduction of the system with part-night lighting will deliver a CO2 reduction of over 4,000 tonnes by April 2013.
For more information, or to view a map of which street lights are part of the scheme, visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/streetlighting or the library.
Contractors working on behalf of Suffolk County Council will soon be seen installing an 'intelligent street lighting system' to control the street lights around Haverhill.
The system which will be rolled out across the town in four stages from the week beginning October 17 up to November 28, will allow the council to switch off some street lights, dim some street lights or leave them on remotely.
It has already successfully been rolled out across Suffolk, including Eye, Needham Market and parts of Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich.
The lights will have fully adjustable settings, which means that settings can be altered for different days of the week, take account of British Summertime, or set street lights to stay on for longer, for instance for events or at Christmas and New Year.
All street lights owned by Suffolk County Council that are six metres in height or below are to be switched off between the hours of midnight and 5.30am.
The council will be using the following criteria to consider whether lights should be kept on for a longer period:
• Lights at major junctions/roundabouts;
• In town centres with CCTV, high security businesses such as banks, areas of high night-time pedestrian usage, for example near nightclubs and train stations, outside community facilities or Leisure Centres;
• Areas where street lights are needed to reduce road accidents;
• Areas where there could be an increase in crime through reduced lighting, such as pubs and specific residential areas;
• Remote alleys linking residential streets;
• Near pedestrian crossings, footbridges, subways;
• In public car parks;
• At bus stops;
• At level crossings, speed humps and traffic lights;
• Where there is sheltered housing for the elderly.
The decision about which street lights to keep on and which should be switched off has been made in consultation with local town and parish councils, Suffolk police and local county councillors.
The county council says it is moving to this new system in order to save money - it estimates it will save £550,000 a year in energy bills - and to save carbon.
Suffolk has an ambition to reduce its carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025 and the introduction of the system with part-night lighting will deliver a CO2 reduction of over 4,000 tonnes by April 2013.
For more information, or to view a map of which street lights are part of the scheme, visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/streetlighting or the library.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)