Dark!

The city is testing a new method of saving money: turning off the street lights. They aren’t turning all of them off. Nor are they turning them off over the entire city. They are turning off two of every three lights in selected areas of town. I live in one of the selected areas. Overall I applaud the idea. I think it is high time measures like this are seriously considered in order to reduce energy consumption, and set the example to residents. However, after the first night of such a “test”, which will last all month, I have a few points to raise.

1. check to be sure all lights are working properly before beginning
2. replace any burnt out bulbs
3. check which lights will actually be “out” and how extensive the dark areas are
4. be certain that certain key areas are not dark.

With these basic guidelines in mind I think great savings can be made without jeopardizing safety or convenience, although I do predict an increase in the amount of dog poop visible in daylight.

If, with the flip of a switch, one turns off two of three lights, but is unaware that the third light is burnt out, then the length of street in darkness is five lights. Also there are key areas that need to be lit. These include: recycle points; general parking areas, intersections, and curves in the road. While walking my dogs last night and this morning I noticed that the nearby recycle point was lit, but that two public parking areas were totally dark. This would make things very difficult for a resident who dropped their keys, or who might slip on a patch of ice. On the other hand, an unlit parking area could tempt vandals or thieves. At least two street corners were completely unlit because the two lights off on one street coincided with the two lights off on the joining street.

Finally I do wish that someone would turn off the lights on the football field, which have blazed all night for over three weeks. The field isn’t even in use – much less in the wee hours of the night. This is the fifth time this has happened, but this time after I reported it, these lights still haven’t been turned off. Frankly those big lights are huge energy consumers. I’d like to know who keeps turning them on. Is it an incompetent employee who doesn’t know which switch is which? Or is it some prankster who happens to gain access? If it’s an employee, then that person needs better training. If it is a prankster, then someone needs to figure out how they are gaining access and put a stop to it, perhaps by changing the lock or the password. Letting the lights burn out and then not replacing them does not stop the waste of electricity: closing the circuit does.