Street lights in Cornwall to be switched off after midnight
They'll be switched off or dimmed in some areas between midnight and 5am
Cornwall Council will switch off some of their streetlights at night in a bid to cut emissions and costs.
They'll be turned off or dimmed between midnight and 5am - although won't cover areas including busy junctions, town centres, and entrances and exits to hospitals, police and fire stations.
It comes as the Council is replacing all of its streetlights with energy saving LEDs in a bid to cut carbon emissions and reduce electricity consumption.
And they added evidence from other local authorities shows levels of crime or road traffic accidents do not not increase with such switch-offs.
Richard Willams-Pears, Cornwall Council's portfolio holder for transport said: “This measure to switch off and save, complements the ongoing project to upgrade 55,000 streetlights with new energy efficient LED light fittings.
"Replacing them will cut the emissions generated by around 50% by the time the project is complete in 2025 - equivalent to 17,000 round trips by car to London from Truro, or 18.5 round trips to the moon, again by car, and saving around £1 million of Cornish taxpayers' money being spent on energy costs based on current prices.
“This next initiative for part-night operation and ultra-dimming of streetlights where it is safest do so recognises demands from local communities to switch-off after midnight, whilst dimming but keeping streetlights on in areas where there is a strong night-time economy.”
“We won’t be compromising on safety as where risk assessments have shown that streetlights are still beneficial, they will be kept on, or will be dimmed once the new LED bulbs are fitted.”
Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for climate change said: “As a council we are committed to working towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
“Our vast network of streetlights currently contributes to around 30% of the council’s total carbon emissions. Carbon reduction is a primary driver for taking action to replace streetlights and turn them off or dim them when appropriate.
"We are acting to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy use, reduce light pollution to help nature recovery, as well as help offset the increase in energy prices, as we take another step towards reaching our carbon neutral goal.”