HCC has 115,000 street lights which cost around £3.4 million a year to keep on through the night. By switching some of them off when road and pedestrian traffic volumes are at their lowest, they can cut their electricity bill by one-third.
The changes you may have noticed are the result of the programme of what HCC calls ‘part-night lighting’ (PNL). You may have read about it in the article in the autumn 2011 edition of the free Horizons magazine delivered to every house in the county. In order to save about £1.3m a year some our lights will be switched off between midnight and 6am. This does not apply to 100% of lights – those at sensitive locations will be left on.
We are the last district to be done and crews are in East Herts right now fitting switches to turn off some of our lights in the early hours. A areas where there is significant pedestrian activity after midnight and busier road junctions will remain lit throughout the night.
If you have any more questions, go to the HCC website at herts direct (headed ‘Change to street lighting at night’) which describes the scheme and has a list of Frequently Asked Questions at the end. Sally Newton, our local county councillor has been fully engaged in the decision on which lights to leave on in Bengeo. If you have any local suggestions please let her know.