Wokingham

Wokingham Residents are being urged to find out all about an energy saving trial due to start in June, which will reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gases pumped into the environment as well as saving taxpayers’ money.

Wokingham Borough Council is following in the footsteps of several other councils* across the country by trialling a part-night lighting scheme and is now urging all residents and visitors to find out the facts about the project by logging on to www.wokingham.gov.uk/part-night

The Wokingham council owns and maintains 16,000 street lights across the borough, but in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save money (up to £18,000 per year per 1,000 street lamps) the council will be trialling a scheme where 1,000 of these lights are turned off when most people are not out and about.

Throughout the Wokingham trial the part-night lights will only be switched off from about midnight to 5.30am – they will work as normal outside these times, which is when most people are walking, driving or cycling around the borough.

All the lights selected for the trial have been carefully chosen according to an extensive list of exemption categories, which were consulted upon with parish and town councils. Thames Valley Police has also been consulted on the exemption categories and supports the criteria.

Wokingham Residents’ safety and wellbeing is important and so lights have only been selected for the trial if they are not covered by one or more of the exemption categories. The exemption categories are as follows:

• Lights at major junctions/ roundabouts
• In town centres where there is CCTV, high security businesses like banks, and/or lots of people at night, for example near nightclubs and train stations, outside community facilities like the British Legion or leisure centres
• Areas where street lights are needed to reduce road accidents
• Areas where there could be an increase in crime through reduced lighting, like pubs and specific residential areas
• Remote alleys linking residential streets
• Near traffic islands, pedestrian crossings, footbridges, subways or where the council has a specific duty of care
• In public car parks
• At bus stops
• At level crossings, speed humps, traffic lights
• Where there is sheltered housing for the elderly

The Wokingham locations have also been subject to an independent and police safety review. The sites will be regularly monitored by the council and Thames Valley Police throughout the trial.

Mark Moon, general manager Wokingham place and neighbourhood services, said: “The trial will not only save energy and therefore taxpayers’ money, it will also reduce carbon emissions, which are hazardous to the environment.

“All the 1,000 trial lights have been very carefully selected excluding the exemption categories. These categories have been set out so that lights, which are essential in maintaining the wellbeing and safety of residents and motorists and/or reducing crime are not affected. We don’t want to make people feel unsafe during this trial so I’d like to reassure residents that we will not be turning off any lights near pubs, bus stops, pedestrian crossings, elderly peoples’ homes, near nightclubs, in town centres, in subways or remote alleyways and at major roundabouts or road junctions or where lights are needed for road safety. We will be working closely with the police to monitor the trial as it progresses.

“The trial isn’t due to start until June 8 so in the interim I’d urge residents to log on to www.wokingham.gov.uk/part-night to find out all the facts.”

Chief Inspector Denise Blackburn, local police area commander for Wokingham, said: “Wokingham Borough Council is following in the footsteps of several other councils across the country by trialling a part-night lighting scheme in an effort to reduce energy and Thames Valley Police has been consulted widely on this particular proposal, therefore affording the opportunity to provide information and data relating to crime and disorder. From this exchange of information, only areas which are suitable for the trial will be affected by reduced lighting, and we will of course continue to monitor incidents in these areas at a time when the lighting is reduced to ascertain whether there is any increase in recorded crime incidents or fear of crime.”

Brightly coloured posters will be put up at the entrance and exit of streets where at least one street light is being used in the part-night trial. Individual stickers will be put on all affected street-lights prior to the trial starting.

Letters to residents living in streets affected by the trial will also be sent out before it starts so that they have the full facts and can get more information if necessary.

Wokingham Borough Council