To think they have dimmed the street lights

[Chocolateapot]

Everywhere is SO dark, driving is a nightmare. Walking is treacherous as you can barely see the pavement in front of you, what is going on?! Have they dimmed the street lights ?

In my area yes there is a deliberate policy to dim them - it’s to reduce electricity costs and light pollution.

We had one very dim light on a particular corner which was unsafe, once a few of us complained the council turned that one back up. So if there are specific areas you think need brighter lighting it’s worth reporting it and seeing if you can get it changed.

I am not sure where you are but in my town they have introduced Eco Friendly Street Lightbulbs in the street lights. They are incredibly dim. Almost impossible to see people walking etc particularly if they are wearing dark clothing.

Lights going off at a certain time of night has been a thing in my area for a few years now, there are signs in lampposts explaining it.It is dark but despite reservations I've not heard anything suggesting there's been an increase in accidents or incidents

Energy saving is a good idea, I'm sure your council will tell you if something has changed

YANBU. It’s awful where we are, you can’t see what you’re stepping in, and with the amount of dog shit left on our pavements I have to walk along with my phone light on to avoid a major clean-up job. I worry a bit about safety too.

Interesting to read this, I’ve been noticing the last couple of years that I find it harder to see at night - thought it was a sign of getting old 🤣

I think this is a thing and i'm so glad you posted it because I honestly thought I might have some kind of night vision problem going on!

Yanbu!! I was thinking this yesterday, driving is harder and its definitely darker!

What a mess things are, surely human safety isnt where you want to make cuts for the planet 🙄🙄

I actually talked to a couple of neighbours about it, one in their 20s mentioned it to me because of when she's walking her dog. Then another guy in his 30s chimed in and said he's really noticing it when he drives along the road before ours (which is a small quiet road). That road before is reasonably busy so should be well lit.

so it's not an age thing.

Ours dim at 8pm, then more at midnight - at full brightness they’re insanely bright and white since they switched to LEDs a year or so ago.

Given the glare into my house and the impact on electricity usage I actually wish they’d permanently dim them. Torches and car headlights should suffice if people want brightly lit.

They have. It’s a nightmare, especially in the rain plus the fact that almost everyone wears dark clothes and oncoming headlights are blinding. You can’t see people at crossings. I had one idiot walk straight out when the lights had changed ( to green for me) at 7am this morning , he was all in black.

It’s energy saving lights round here which make it very dark. If there’s any amount of tree cover the light doesn’t reach the road or pavement and there’s a number of roads where the lights are on the grass verge over the road and no light reaches the pavement. I guess no one is capturing data on sprained ankles and the number of people who’ve stood in dog shit!

Same!

I hate it! On some streets around here I feel a bit unsafe walking as a woman after dark, especially where there are trees on the pavements. And the pavements themselves are uneven and you can trip,

I think it's a rubbish idea and probably doesn't make much difference to the environment.

Combined with cars driving with ridiculous bright led headlights.

It's especially tricky in the weeks when the clocks have changed and people are coming home from school and work etc.

We have low-energy streetlights and they're shite. They cast a narrow pool of light and at the furthest point between two lights, which is where my house is, it's pitch black. I carry a small torch in my bag, so that I can see where I'm going, and had to get battery motion-sensor lights put on the house so people can see to get up my front steps.

Around 11pm, they go off and switch to being motion-triggered, so that it's entirely black until you get out of the car and walk to the point at which they come on.

It's truly creepy and feels unsafe walking home alone where I am. If it's an eco measure I am not sure how effective it is because if it's gone much later than 8 now in winter I get a cab home instead of walking from the station and I know a lot of other locals do the same.

I completely agree! I was driving home from work and had decided it was either my eyes or there was a power cut.

I’m in my early 30s and have my eyes checked very regularly for another condition (unrelated to night vision) so I know they are fine. I worry for older drivers or people feeling unsteady on their feet because I’m hating driving or walking anywhere past 5pm at the moment!

I have to take a torch with me now when I walk the dog in the evening, it’s no use relying on street lights to see where I’m going, they’re rubbish!!

I was just saying this last week. Could hardly see to walk on the pavement

Why don't you get a torch that you can wear on your head?

It’s not just for environmental reasons (although it is that too), but another casualty of massive council cuts since 2010, in our area anyway.

I go for a nightly walk after the children are in bed / after work and I was thinking to myself last night that a lot of people carry torches / use their phone light to walk at night and I couldnt remember it being a "thing" when I was a child (90s) the street lights are very dim and almost pointless.

Quite the opposite where I am - the council have put new hideously bright lights on the main road & it’s like the Blackpool bloody Illuminations round here! Have to sleep with an eye mask on now.

I noticed this about ten years ago. Where I live they have cut out every other lamppost it seems. Everything feels quite sinister walking up to my house. You've reminded me to get my sensor door light sorted so thanks.