Tags: Ecology, Politics, Society
Essex council turns off the lights
July 14th, 2006, by Rich.
Q: How many Essex girls does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: The same number as before, but the lightbulb lasts longer because its used less.
Kudos must go to the big brains in Essex County Council; their recent decision to switch off street lights between midnight and 5am makes clear economic and ecological sense.
They’ve stated that in some places the lights will have to remain on, but hopefully the continuing commoditization of infrared movement sensors can enable Essex and (more impotantly) other councils to adopt more aggressive energy saving measures in the not too distant future, allowing us to have dark (or at least much dimmer streets) in places where animals aren’t moving.
So, that’s lower council tax, and the ability to see the starry night. Essex house prices just inflated again.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I live in an area where the street lights have now been turned
off between 11.45 p.m. and 5 a.m. and it is the worst thing
essex council have thought of in a long time. It effectively
has put a curfew on all the women living in this area, who would
feel safe enough to walk home before, and now will get a taxi,
even if just around the corner, or drive….so much for saving
carbon footprints. I wrote to the council asking for a rebate
on my tax and they replied that it was such a negligible savings
that it wouldnt be passed on…well, in that case, PLEASE LEAVE
THE LIGHTS ON!!. I guess it will unfortunately take a crime of
some sort before they rethink their crazy idea. Some nights it
is pitch black, and as our local pubs call last orders at 12.30
p.m. and taxis are hard to come by, you see young girls walking
home in the middle of the road, because that is actually the
safest place to walk.
These people will not be getting my vote at the next elections!
And I have not spoken to one person yet who lives in my area
who agrees with the lights being turned off.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
To solve some of the problems of using electricity we have an innovative product called “windela” which is a wind turbine/solar powered street lamp. These can be monitored remotely and generates its own electricity. Windela is used by Councils in France with great success.