New 'green' traffic lights to be installed

by Lisa Reeves

Monday 1^st October 2012

Mon 1^st Oct 2012

Cheshire East Council is embarking on a scheme to replace all the traditional traffic lights with brighter LED signals.

The new traffic lights will be installed at all 117 of its traffic signal junctions and 32 pedestrian crossings across the Borough.

These tiny, purely electronic lights are more energy efficient, clearly visible and longer-lasting.

The authority says the upgrade will greatly improve safety, reduce accidents and increase the reliability of the service to road users.

The upgrade work will cost up to £650,000 which will be offset by saving the Council £75,000 a year on running costs and maintenance. An interest-free Government loan of £200,000 will help fund the scheme.

Lamps in conventional traffic lights are changed every year, however, LEDs can last between seven and 10 years – thus saving up to nine maintenance visits over their lifetime.

The move will also cut energy consumption at signals by about 75% – thereby significantly reducing CO2 emissions and the Council's electricity bill.

This major Cheshire East Highways work programme to replace more than 1,500 pedestrian and traffic signal heads starts today, Monday October 1st, and is due to be completed by the end of January.

Lights on the A34 Alderley Edge bypass and A34 Wilmslow bypass will be upgraded this week, along with the two sets of lights by AstraZeneca.

The lights on Wilmslow Road, near Alderley Edge School for Girls, and on Ryleys Lane, near Church Lane, will be replaced week commencing 15th October.

The following week, commencing 22nd October, the two sets of lights on London Road, near Heyes Lane and Stevens Street, will be upgraded.

Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member in charge of highways services, said: "This is excellent news for all Cheshire East road users.

"Safer roads are a significant goal for the Council. This innovative use of technology will help deliver a far superior, safer, greener and more reliable service for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. It will also cost local taxpayers less to run and maintain.

"Using LEDs will cut CO2 emissions by 252 tonnes a year. This will contribute to Cheshire East Council's commitment to reducing its carbon impact on the environment."

Delays to the public will be minimised by not doing the work during the rush hours, unless absolutely necessary, avoiding school run times and working at weekends on traffic sensitive junctions.

Although some delays at signal controlled junctions will be unavoidable, temporary traffic lights will be used to control traffic flows.

The LED scheme could also be extended to street lights on major junctions and roundabouts in the future.

Click here for the complete programme for replacing all the traditional traffic lights across the Borough.

Tags:: Cheshire East Council

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Caroline Francis

Monday 1^st October 2012 at 10:29 pm

This is a welcomed initiative to save money in the long term and such initiatives are to be encouraged. However there is still a long standing issue in my opinion that needs to be addressed with regards poor street lighting around some of the main residential streets in the village. The lighting is simply not adequate and one can feel uneasy when walking through the village at night in the winter/darker months. The Council should take time to consider street light upgrades and making the village feel safer for those of us who walk.

Marc Asquith

Tuesday 2^nd October 2012 at 8:40 pm

Caroline, there is a problem with your approach. That is that many of us would have fewer lights and less lighting - light pollution and energy wastage are, amongst others, our motivations. You might not agree, but there is a substantial element of public disagreement on this subject.

For me - as a starting point the Council can turn off all the lights at 11.30pm and frankly can turn them all off over time.

I hate most street lighting.

Tuesday 2^nd October 2012 at 10:39 pm

Marc - Perhaps if you walked home from work on an evening in the dark months you might have more compassion! I don't always feel safe with the existing lighting being so poor, and frankly I know that there are other people who feel the same. That aside, I agree with you about turning them off altogether after 11.30pm, it would save the Council a lot of money in the long run.

Steve Savage

Wednesday 3^rd October 2012 at 9:23 am

We are talking about the mean streets of Alderley Edge here aren't we?

Wednesday 3^rd October 2012 at 12:59 pm

It is clearly an issue as one of our local councillors confirmed to me last year that other people (particularly women) were not keen to park at the Festival Hall in the winter months due to the poor lighting.

Chris Stock

Wednesday 3^rd October 2012 at 2:49 pm

Bit confused, Caroline... If you were walking home, feeling unsafe, AFTER 11:30, would you want the lights on or off?

Wednesday 3^rd October 2012 at 5:29 pm

I refer to walking home during the early evening period - 5.30 to 7.30 period! I agree about having lights off later on! I just feel they should be brighter when people are walking around the streets during the early evening period!

Ricky Lee

Thursday 4^th October 2012 at 8:08 am

We have some licence venues within the village which open beyond 11:30, for the safety of their customers and staffs, I don't agree of turning the lights off before all the venue staffs has left. I think safety should come first. Street lights were first introduce to make the street safe.

Thursday 4^th October 2012 at 5:22 pm

Ricky, on the whole I agree. Street lights were introduced to make the street safe. I am all for saving public money by making small changes, but the safety and well-being of residents and people who work in the village is paramount.

Gordon Hyslop

Friday 5^th October 2012 at 11:19 am

Great move and I notice that LED street lamps are been test on the by-pass I understand that two power stations come be shutdown if all lamps were switched The only draw back is in winter ice can form to obscur the lamps as very little heat is generated

Friday 5^th October 2012 at 8:32 pm

What are we keeping the streets safe from in Alderley ? The packs of wild dogs or the hoards of rampant teenagers ?

As Steve says - this is Alderley Edge !

I fail to understand why my taxes should be used to pander to paranoia !

Kriss Coombes

Saturday 6^th October 2012 at 11:06 am

Well said Marc. "Carry on and keep calm", was exactly what we did during the war years when complete blackouts were the norm. Not even a hint of light from a house or shop was allowed.