You may be aware that the timers for the street lighting on Millcroft have been altered and all but one switch off at 1am until approximately 5am.
The coordinators have been in contact with North Yorkshire street lighting department with a view to the safety issues regarding this 'blackout'.
Below is their reply.
We suggest that for now that members leave an outside light on.
Thank you for your feedback regarding the Street Lighting Energy Reduction project.
Whilst
the primary purpose of road and street lighting is for Highway safety
we acknowledge the fear of crime and pedestrian safety is an important
consideration
when assessing our proposals.
The
part-night lighting configuration has been determined using the
exclusion criteria adopted by elected members in 2011. Street lighting
is provided for
the benefit of highway users and the Council is not responsible for the
visibility or security of residents' properties. Any existing street
lighting cannot be regarded as a public substitute for private security
lighting. It is acknowledged that the new policy
results in areas of darkness between midnight and 5am and anyone who is
out after midnight may encounter dark conditions.
In
order for a light to be excluded from the part-night scheme it must
meet the new street lighting policy exclusion criteria. These are as
follows:
• Main traffic routes and road junctions.
• Locations with a significant road traffic night time accident record.
•
Areas with a significant record of night time crime or anti-social
behaviour (based on stats provided by NY police on reported crime over
the
last 5 years between midnight and 6am)
• Lights outside sheltered housing
• Areas with 24hour operational emergency services including hospitals.
• Potential hazards on the highway such as traffic calming, speed humps and road crossings (except in 20mph zones)
• Parts of town centres that have concentrated night time activity or economy.
• Areas covered by Council or Police CCTV operations
In
some instances the County Council has left a limited number of lights
operational as wayfinders in the longer residential streets.
Lights
can only be re-instated if they are shown to meet one or more of the
exclusion criteria. Please be assured that the Police and a detailed
review of local
crime and accident statistics were part of the consultation process and
assessments undertaken prior to commencing the part-night scheme. This
is an on-going process with post implementation reviews being carried
out alongside those for future schemes. Any
requests for changes to the part-night configuration relating to crime
must come directly from the Police as many incidents are for example
isolated or not relevant to the part-night programme. A Police overview
and consolidation of all the relevant criteria
enables us to maintain a fair and consistent approach across the
County.
The
Council accepts that some residents may not agree with its lighting
policy. However the policy has the democratic cross-party support of the
elected members
and, in these times of austerity, is necessarily generating both a cash
saving and a reduction in the County’s carbon footprint.
I realise that this may not be the answer for which you hoped but regret it is the only one which I can give.
Thank you again for your feedback. I am sorry that we are unable to assist further at this time.
Kind regards,
Kelly Baxter
Project Officer (Energy)
