Highways Agency carbon saving scheme to be extended ... Again.

[Shadeyman]

Motorway lighting along a carefully-selected section of motorway in the West Midlands will be switched off between midnight and 5am in a move to reduce carbon emissions and light pollution, the Highways Agency has announced.
Starting at 00:01hrs on Wednesday 30 March 2011, lighting on a five mile stretch of the M54 from its junction with the M6 to Junction 2 near Wolverhampton will be switched off each night between midnight and 5am.
This stretch of the motorway has a good safety record between midnight and 5am and, after careful assessment, has been chosen as the latest site for the Highways Agency's national programme. The motorway junctions and their approaches will remain lit.

http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=418820

I drive this stretch of motorway regulary, sometimes in the early hours. Traveling at about 75/80mph cars pass me like I'm standing still. It has a good saftey record because its well lit, there will be serious accidents when they turn off the lighting. A bad choice.

 

[Stu DemonD]

This is already in place across many stretches of motorways, have accidents increased in those areas?

 

[Shadeyman]

This is already in place across many stretches of motorways, have accidents increased in those areas?

No idea about other areas, best to ask the locals. I doubt they would admit it anyway, most likely blame something else. This strech of motorway has some very fast moving traffic, no cameras and very few cops. Loose the lighting and there will accidents there.

They removed speed cameras in Oxford in August last year knowing the on coming winter would cause accidents so they could force local government to reinstall the cameras by blaming the increase in accidents on the loss of cameras.

They remove the lighting on the M54 in summer hoping the fair weather conditions will help limit the accidents. Bad weather will spell disaster with no lighting. But of course, they'll blame the weather not the bad lighting conditions.

This strech of motorway is boy racer heaven at 2am, remove the lighting and your asking for trouble.

 

[maddogmorg]

So not really a lighting issue, more of a policing issue. In the dark with your lights on your car will stand out more than it would on a lit motorway, in most cases.

 

[craigb244]

on most European highways there are hundreds of miles stretches without any lighting and in middle of no where so is literally pitch black (never been on myself but my mate said its just black and all you can see is the cats eyes in front)

seems a brilliant idea to me.

 

[jip0]

im sure i will find out whats like on my trips to and from uni

 

[Kier]

On the left or right of your steering wheel there is normally a switch for your lights...just turn them on.

 

[Helz]

I remember a certain person who'd NEVER driven on roads without streetlights asking me how one drove on a stretch of road in the dark. To me, that was normal as none of the roads outside the towns are lit here. You just slow down and adjust your driving, lets hope the racers do that

 

[Big Black Stilo]

theres a section near us that gets turned off. the irony is about 35 years ago lighting was put in due to the weather conditions that can occur there. now they switch them off.

someone trying to make their seat pay at highways methinks