Reducing street lighting: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Part-night lighting is exactly how it sounds – when a street light is switched off for part of the night.  In line with other councils who have used this approach, the lights affected will be switched off from midnight to 5.30am (+/- 15 mins) GMT during BST these street lights will turn off at 1am (+/- 15 mins) and turn back on at 06.30 (+/- 15 mins) if it is still dark.

Lights will be dimmed by about 50% in power.  Dimming will only be carried out when traffic flows are low and when a lower level of lighting will not affect road safety.

Not all lights can be dimmed as the equipment used to dim lights is expensive.  We can only get a sufficient saving and return on our investment from the most powerful 250 watts lights.  We will not be dimming less powerful lights because the dimmer units might need replacing before they have paid for themselves in terms of reduced electricity costs.

It is difficult to say at this initial stage as the detailed design and risk assessment has yet to be carried out for each site. However, we estimate that about 2000 lights will be dimmed (3% of the total number of lights in the County), 1000 will be switched off (1.5%), and up to 40,000 will be converted to part-night operation (60%).

The permanent switch-off of some lights in rural locations will be starting in spring 2010 and dimming of street lights on main roads will happen after that.  No decisions have yet been made on which lights will be dimmed or switched off.  The part-night lighting scheme will start in summer 2010 with the villages of  Quorn, Dunton Bassett, Thurlaston, Lubenham, Swannington and Smeeton Westerby, where the parish councils have indicated an interest in this initiative.  It is then planned to roll-out part-night lighting throughout the County.  

Yes. There is no statutory requirement on local authorities in the UK to provide public lighting, the law states that:

All street lights will be affected, apart from the following:

Yes, all roads will have had a review carried out by our road safety team and the police as part of the risk assessment before any lights are switched off.  Any concerns raised from the review will be considered and a decision will be made as to whether the lights will be included in the changes.

Street lights at major roundabouts and junctions, at pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, speed bumps or chicanes which are needed to ensure road safety will not be selected for switching off.  It’s also important to remember that only a small number of lights (1.5% of the total number of lights in the County) will be switched off permanently.  The vast majority of lights will only be switched off from about midnight when most drivers are not on the road, and will be switched on again around 5.30am ( GMT or 1am to 06.30 BST) – well before the morning rush starts.  In addition, if a street light is turned off on the highway, it will still need to be regularly inspected to ensure:

The residential areas where cars are likely to be parked on the road over-night, are only being switched off between midnight and 5:30 am ( GMT or 1am to 06.30 BST), when traffic flows are likely to be very low.  Vehicle speeds are also likely to be low as these areas have 30 mph speed limits and speed is also constrained by the narrowness of the road, speed humps and the presence of parked cars.  Therefore the risks of collision are considered to be small given the very low traffic volumes and low speeds of vehicles.  However if you are parking your vehicle over-night on the road, you do have a responsibility to park in a manner to ensure other road users can see your vehicle.  For more information on the legal requirements for parking on the street at night please see our web page.

The evidence from other areas in which these measures have been introduced, dictates that levels of crime and numbers of traffic accidents do not increase.

The safety and wellbeing of residents and motorists is important and has always been the biggest consideration of this project.  The Council will continue to work closely with Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, and East Midlands Ambulance Service on the detailed proposals.  Consultation will also be carried out with parish and town councils on part-night lighting proposals.  Street lights in areas with evidence of high accident levels at night, needed for road safety reasons, in residential areas with higher crime rates, in town centres, and near sheltered housing will be excluded from the measures.  All accidents and crime in the affected areas will be closely monitored throughout the project and regular meetings will be held with the emergency services.  

A 30mph speed limit automatically applies in any road containing a system of street lights placed not more than 200 yards apart, unless signposted with a different speed limit. There is no current law stating that these lights have to be switched on all night to be applicable.  Therefore, motorists are advised that the usual 30mph speed limit will be in place regardless of whether the lights are switched on or not.

A comment form has been set up encouraging residents to give their views. These comments will be used to help with monitoring the affects of the changes. If you would like to write to us, you can send an email to lighting@leics.gov.uk or write to:

Customer Services Centre
Leicestershire County Council
County Hall,
Glenfield,
Leicester
LE3 8ST

Consultation on specific detailed proposals for part-night lighting will be carried out with the relevant parish or town council and residents are welcome to comment on the project via their parish or town council.