Dark cities - will road lighting extinction become standard?
The energy crisis that the whole world is currently facing is casting a shadow over many industries and increasing prices for almost all products and services. But this is only one side of the coin. The other is related to the measures being taken by municipalities to generate as much savings as possible on electricity consumption. An idea recently considered by many local governments is to extinguish road lighting at night. However, dark cities carry huge risks.
There is increasing talk about so-called dark cities. What is this phenomenon and what consequences can it bring to residents, drivers and other users of road infrastructure? You can read about it in our article.
In a time of energy crisis
Raging inflation and drastic increases in electricity prices are causing local governments to look for solutions that will help them generate savings and get through the upcoming crisis without overburdening their budgets.
Some European metropolitan areas, such as Cologne, have announced the cancellation of the illumination of representative urban monuments, storefronts or billboards. In Greece, specialists are developing meters with which they will check electricity consumption in residential homes and commercial establishments. In Poland, another way to generate savings has been found: turning off road lighting at night. This example clearly shows that cities and institutions that have invested in energy-efficient lighting have made the right decision and will certainly avoid this type of step. Indeed, turning off road lights is a big problem.
Security of cities
Road and street lighting mainly performs the function of ensuring the safety of users. Not only does it make it easier to navigate the arteries of cities, but also protects pedestrians, cyclists and animals crossing the roadways. If street and traffic lights are extinguished, cities will be plunged into darkness, and safety levels will drop dramatically.
The significant impact of road and street lighting on the well-being and comfort of residents is also indisputable. As past examples have shown, even temporary shutdowns result in increased traffic accidents, increased crime rates and a significant reduction in quality of life.
Smart solutions for the times
With the crisis lurking just around the corner, local governments are forced to look for savings which involves not only financial issues, but also ecological ones. However, creating the effect of dark cities may entail serious consequences that will be difficult to eliminate. The only compromise solution, therefore, seems to be a quick investment in energy-efficient road lighting, as well as optimizing future costs with smart lighting management systems.
Technology, such as the ClueCity control and management system, comes to the rescue, providing the ability to adjust the amount of light emitted by a luminaire according to traffic volume, turning it on at times specified by the system manager and programming it individually. Combined with LED luminaires, the ClueCity system generates energy consumption savings of 60%.