Motorway lights to be switched off at night despite safety warnings

Motorway lighting is to be switched off in parts of Britain to reduce carbon emissions, despite warnings from police and scientists that the move would affect safety.

By Alastair Jamieson Last Updated: 6:11PM GMT 25 Jan 2009

The Highways Agency confirmed it would go ahead with plans to turn off lighting on some stretches of motorway between midnight and 5am, and claimed the move would also reduce light pollution of the night sky.
It said the changes would take place at "a small number of locations" around England as early as March and that it was already choosing which sites would be suitable.
The move follows that of nine councils which have already switched off some street lights or plan to do so to save money.
However the changes could have significant safety implications, according to the latest research published in the scientific journal, the Cochrane Library. It found that street lighting reduced the number of fatal crashes by 77 per cent and other collisions by between 32 and 55 per cent.
This contradicts research used by the Highways Agency which estimated that street lighting reduced the risk of crashes by only 10 per cent.
The Cochrane study will also have implications for a number of local authorities which have either started switching lights off at night or are considering doing so. They include West Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Essex, Torfaen and Ceredigion.
One authority, Powys, has already decided to switch lights back on following a review of the initiative.
Lancashire County Council, which owns the M65, has proposed switching off lights at all times of day, except for those at junctions, in order to save £65,000 a year and reduce carbon emissions by 300 tonnes. The move was sharply criticised by Lancashire Police which said it would be "a retrograde step in relation to motorway safety".
A spokeswoman for he Highways Agency refused to disclose which areas were being considered or explain how the agency could fulfil its promise to carry out a risk assessment of each site within a matter of weeks.
Neil Greig, assistant director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said more research into the effects of the changes was needed and that the Highways Agency needed to be "more innovative" in its plans. "Why not use roadstuds that charge up in daylight and glow at night or generate energy through wind or solar power in more remote areas?"
He added that good white lining and top quality reflective signs would be needed in areas where lights were switched off.