Street light dimming trial in Peterborough set to begin

After upgrading 17,000 street lights to energy-efficient LEDs in a £16 million project, the authority is going to dim street lights in residential areas by 20 per cent between 9pm and 5am as part of a trial which begins on Monday.

Moreover, traffic routes will see street lights dimmed by 20 per cent between 9pm and midnight, then by 40 per cent between midnight and 5am.

The council is arguing that the quality of the new lights means that residents will notice little to no difference, while the cash-strapped authority will save £100,000 a year.

The permanent dimming of the street lights has been included as part of the council’s latest budget proposals which will be voted on next week.

The proposals are expected to be approved, with the trial period taking place before any permanent change.

The trial will be city-wide and will not include subways. It is due to finish at the end of March 2020, and if it is deemed to be a success it will become permanent from the start of the new financial year in April.

The council said: “Due to the improved quality of LED lights a reduction of 20 per cent is not significant enough to be noticeable to the naked eye by the majority of people.

“A number of trials have been undertaken with both officers and councillors who have broadly observed that there is no significant difference to the lighting levels and the trials have been received positively.

“A number of other authorities have dimmed their lighting successfully with no issues and the above proposed regimes mirror those implemented by others.

“The council will need to liaise with key stakeholders to ensure that areas of concern are either monitored or programmed with amended regimes as necessary and plans to do this prior to and during the trial period January 2020.”