On 14/03/2013 13:04, Martin Brown wrote:
On 14/03/2013 11:21, Mark wrote:
On Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:13:06 +0000, Martin Brown
wrote:

--snip--

Switching off lights after midnight is a clear electricity saving
provided that their contract allows it and is not a pay per stalk deal.

But is likely to result in an increase in crime and road accidents.
I'll bet they haven't costed this.

Fear of the dark is a serious problem. City dwellers confuse being dazzled by the glare of strong directional lights with "good" lighting.
Shopping centre advertise their presence with a light dome and it works.

There is no evidence to suggest that turning off street lamps late at night affects either crime rates or road accidents.

RoSPA do not agree with you:

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advi...-lighting.aspx

The presence of lighting not only reduces the risk of traffic accidents, but also their severity ...

In some locations, a reduction in lighting quality may not increase the risk of an accident. However, there is the danger that an unconsidered
removal or reduction in quality could actually increase accidents and their severity.

Colin Bignell