Opinion

Street lights

The Hunter has 50,000 street lights switched on from dusk till dawn every night of the year and chewing through enough electricity to power 3420 homes for the year. The cost to the Hunter's councils is almost $9million, and the cost to the environment is 21,383 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

EnergyAustralia is replacing expired globes with energy-efficient compact fluorescents, and that's good, but nobody seems to question the need for so many lights in so many streets for so many hours. In my column in The Herald today I do.

Do we, for example, need street lights turned on in residential areas all night? Do we need all street lights turned on in residential areas? Might the residents' needs be served by only every second light turned on after midnight?

Indeed, is the proposition that residential streets don't need street lights at all so outrageous? Cars, motor bikes and even bicycles have lights many times more effective these days, and there's not a resident of the Hunter who cannot afford a torch.

Posted By: Jeff Corbett on 11/12/2009 4:29:00 PM | Comments (23)

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As long as the "beagle boys' of the city are all tagged with locating devices! It sounds a good idea of using less street lighting when its not really needed? The "mid-night" supermarket might thrive under the full cloak of darkness? I wonder if the half of the $9m could pay for continuous police patrols for the worst times? Lights half on for the other times?

Posted by notashrink, 14/12/2009 9:46:32 AM, on The Herald

Its not the matter of a cost of a torch, it is the measure of comfort and safety to residents that street lights project. I know break and enters occur where street lights are on an operational and even during the daylight hours, but how much easier would it be for the human cockroaches to operate in complete darkness and virtual anonymity?

Posted by MizJasper, 14/12/2009 10:14:46 AM, on The Herald

An informed article on electricity generation and load balancing would be an advantage for all of us. Then we can make informed decisions. How about it Herald? Power stations cannot be switched on and off at will to suit the hysterical green lobby.

Posted by learn, 14/12/2009 10:29:08 AM, on The Herald

We could have 'Earth Hour' every single night, instead of an annual event. If they turned all the lights out between 2:00am and 3:00am, they would get a higher level of support from the wider community. Seriously though, I have driven through North Sydney and Sydney CBD late at night/early morning and have looked up at those office towers and thought, why do they need all those lights turned on; on every single floor ? Surely, it's not for the cleaning staff ? Think of the savings.

Posted by Pie and Peas, 14/12/2009 11:37:25 AM, on The Herald

In my street, we once had a street light blackout for 3 nights and 2 houses were broken into, and the police couldn't do a thing because all they could get was a height description.

Posted by Degeneration Y, 14/12/2009 11:47:00 AM, on The Herald

Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to trust our neighbours, I dont mean next door, but those that roam looking for something for nothing becuase they are too bloody lazy to get a job or too stoned and drunk, If these lot were rounded up and sent to Iraq then we could turn off the lights.

Posted by Jimbob, 14/12/2009 12:14:28 PM, on The Herald

continuous police patrols wouldnt work notashrink because all police resources will be out keeping the big school bullies AVO,s in check.

Posted by horse, 14/12/2009 12:26:02 PM, on The Herald

The cost would probably be overwhelming but what about movement sensor street lights after midnight Jeff.

Posted by horse, 14/12/2009 12:31:54 PM, on The Herald

All levels of government keep us in the dark nowadays...so why not turn off the lights altogether?....and is anyone going to mention Christmas lights?

Posted by stevo, 14/12/2009 12:40:31 PM, on The Herald

ok horse -exploding ankle trackers on anyone caught about in the curfew hours without a legit excuse? Just enough of an explosion for disabling the angle for a day? That slow them up?

Posted by notashrink, 14/12/2009 12:42:32 PM, on The Herald

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