Less street lighting is best report finds Street lighting is not only bad for the environment but it also encourages crime and is often ineffective at reducing road accidents, the Royal Commission of Environmental Pollution (RCEP) has claimed.
On the publication of its new report 'Artifical Light in the Environment', the commission said that there was an 'urgent need' for Government to recognise that artificial light is a harmful pollutant when used inefficiently.
The report studied the effect of 'light pollution' as it is know, which causes the loss view of the night sky and stars to find how it impacts on people as well as on nature and ecosystems. Artificial lighting is not just an energy drain, costing councils millions in electricity to operate each year and contributing to the UK's carbon footprint but the light itself is know to play havoc with plants and animals and can even be damaging to human health. The orange glow often seen at night in urban areas has already been blamed for altering the behavioural patterns of animals and for causing stress in humans.
Although street lighting is useful to create a sense of security and enable mobility during night time according to the report, artificial light can also adversely encourage crime rather than discourage it. Badly designed and located street lighting can cause glare leading to the creation of dark shadows which can help rather than hinder criminal activity.
Meanwhile street lighting is effective at reducing road accidents in areas where cars and pedestrians meet such as residential roads but is ineffective on motorways.
Sir John Lawton, Chair of the Commission, said: "We heard evidence to suggest that more light isn't always better in terms of reducing crime or the incidence of road traffic accidents.
"There are around 7½ million road lights in the UK. Over 2 million are nearly 30 years old and will therefore need to be replaced in the next couple of years. This presents a real opportunity for local authorities to think about minimising the negative impacts of stray light, for the benefit of both nature and the general public."
The Commission also raised concerns about a move towards replacing existing yellow/orange road lighting, which does not affect many organisms, with more modern broader wavelength lighting, which is likely to be detected by a greater number and variety of organisms, could lead to significant impacts on natural systems.
The RCEP is calling on local authorities to consider alternatives to simply providing more light, such as using new lighting technologies coming on-stream, and dimming or turning off lights in quieter areas where they are not needed.
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