Are new street lights as good as the old?

WARRINGTON’S new LED street lights do not give off as much light as the old ones they are replacing, resulting in unsafe, dark areas.
This is the view of many residents who have been comparing the new lights with the old – including the old sodium ones, according to Cllr Keith Gleave.
But when he put the question to Cllr Linda Dirir (pictured), former lead member for highways and transportation, she had a ready answer.
Cllr Dirir said the new installations offered a different type of light – and were being rolled out across the country.
They are energy saving and give off a whiter light than the old sodium ones, giving off less light pollution and spillage of excess light. They are intended to be a more natural light.
Although the old sodium lights are brighter at the source of the light, when you look at the ground where the light actually shines, the new lights are better than the old, allowing more colour and definition of objections such as cars, kerb edges and bins in back alleys.
Cllr Dirir added: “Once all of Warrington has been converted the lighting levels across the town will be consistent and the perception of the roads being darker will diminish.”
The project is a “spend to save” initiative that will enable the council to manage every rising energy costs – and also replace lighting columns that were expected to fall down in the near future.
“Energy usage in the streets that have recently been converted is now half that of streets with older sodium ones. We are also fortunate that we have not had to switch off lights in Warrington as a result of this approach, like many of our neighbouring councils have had to do.
“Our carbon emissions are also being reduced.”