Street lights switched off on two East Yorkshire roads to save energy
The local authority was awarded £3.3m to study more environmentally friendly ways of lighting
Street lights along two main roads in East Yorkshire are to be switched off this week as part of an energy saving trial.
From tomorrow (4 April), lamp-posts along the A164 from the Humber Bridge to Willerby and from Cottingham to Skidby, and on the A1079 from Dunswell Roundabout to Ennerdale Bridge will not operate.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s street lighting scheme is one of seven projects funded across the UK as part of the programme.
The local authority was awarded £3.3m to study more environmentally friendly ways of lighting main roads in the future, as more efficient car headlights will make some lampposts redundant.
The project is part of ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to make the local highway network much greener.
The trial will run for 12 months and the behaviour of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will be closely monitored.
Karl Rourke, the council’s service manager for street lighting, who is leading the project, said: “The East Riding is at the forefront of this innovative project which could lead to a massive reduction in carbon and energy on UK roads.
“We are now at a stage where we can turn off the now not-needed streetlights along two routes, knowing that we can do it safely.
“To make sure the move is being done as safely as possible, we have created and tested a world-first artificial intelligence system that monitors driver behaviour and safety at key points along these two roads.
“The system uses thermal imaging cameras to collect data and tells us how safely drivers are behaving under daylight and nighttime or poor visibility conditions.
“This AI powered system is now active on both routes, and together with physical monitoring, is collecting data and is continuously checking safety for all road users as we switch away from street lighting to the new replacement technologies.”