14 February 2007
BUCKS ROAD LIGHTS SWITCH-OFF WELCOMED
Buckinghamshire County Council’s decision to turn off street
lighting at selected sites in the County has been welcomed by CPRE
Buckinghamshire, the local branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural
England.
Starting next
month, the Council will switch off street lighting at 10 rural or
semi-rural sites across the County, for a trial period. The
Council’s stated aim is to reduce energy costs, with the
additional benefits of reducing light pollution and carbon emissions.
CPRE Buckinghamshire Chairman, Peter Cleasby, said:
“This is a small step, but one very much in the right
direction. Buckinghamshire suffers from a higher degree of light
pollution than the national average, and we hope that other authorities
will follow the County Council’s lead.”
Light pollution is caused by excessively strong or badly directed
lighting which prevents people from seeing genuinely dark skies.
In January, CPRE Buckinghamshire encouraged local people to count the
number of stars they could see, as part of a national survey to
establish whether light pollution is getting better or worse.
Notes to Editors:
1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a
national charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity
of rural England by advocating positive solutions for the long-term
future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, CPRE has 60,000 supporters
nationally and a branch in every county. The Buckinghamshire
Branch, with over 500 individual and 75 corporate members, covers the
areas administered by Buckinghamshire County Council and Milton Keynes
Council.
2. Buckinghamshire County Council has announced that the sites where street lights will be switched off are:
Aylesbury Vale Area
• Nash Lee Roundabout, Wendover Bypass.
• South Street Roundabout, Wendover Bypass.
• A421 Radclive Roundabout.
Chiltern Area
• A413 Aylesbury Road J/W Mobwell, Great Missenden.
South Bucks Area
• A412 Denham Road (From Denham Roundabout to the M25).
• A40 (From east of Potkiln Lane to approximately 250m west of Gerrards Cross town boundary).
Wycombe Area
• A4128 Hughenden Road (From High Wycombe town boundary to south of Cryers Hill Road Roundabout).
3. CPRE Buckinghamshire’s “Count the
Stars” campaign was outlined in a news release dated 5 January
2007, available here.
|
