6:30am Thursday 29th January 2009
By Reg Little
ABOUT 300 street lights are to be switched off as part of a controversial county council plan to cut Oxfordshire’s carbon emissions.
Over the next few weeks, street lights will be switched off between 12.30am and 5.30am at locations across the county, including a stretch of Gosford Road in Kidlington and part of Marston Ferry Road, in Oxford.
Road safety campaigners expressed anxiety about the scheme last summer when County Hall revealed it was considering swtiching off lights. Campaigners feared it would increase the number of accidents.
But AA president Edmund King earlier warned: “Turning off street lights to reduce carbon dioxide may backfire in terms of increased accidents and crime. In the dark, drivers’ reactions tend to be slower and stopping distances longer.”
But Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport, Ian Hudspeth, said: “We have been very careful to consult with parish councils in areas where we have proposals for part night lighting. We don't want to switch street lights off at night where there are any safety concerns or where people raise other potential problems.
“We have been incredibly careful about the locations we have chosen and this represents a very small fraction of the total number of streetlights in Oxfordshire.”
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