Leeds City Council is consulting residents on proposals to turn off street lights at certain times of the night to save £1.3 million over 10 years.
The local authority has more than 92,000 street lights, consuming £4 million in electricity every year, and drew up its ‘lights off’ proposals to try to make financial and carbon emission savings. The council is proposing to switch off some street lights for part of the night, for example, between midnight and 6am on some main and residential roads. It says the proposals are the result of a study of the existing street lighting in Leeds which claims the council can safely switch off one in eight lamps on main roads and one in 14 lamps on residential roads.
The proposed switch-off period will not apply to roads with a significant road traffic accident record or areas with above average crime. All 24-hour emergency services sites such as hospitals and residences accommodating vulnerable people will also be exempt from the proposals.
Councillor Richard Lewis, executive board member responsible for development and the economy told local media site The City Talking: “We have already taken steps to reduce the amount of energy that our street lights use by installing more efficient lamps and trimming switching times but there is potentially more that we could do. These proposals would enable us to save money that could then be re-invested into other council services. We understand that people may have their reservations about these proposals, which is why we are inviting views from all residents before we take this idea any further.”
Leeds is asking its residents to express their views about the proposals during the consultation period, which runs from 11 February until 12 April.
