A major authority has removed hundreds of street lights on two main roads in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, which could put driver safety at risk.
It comes after the East Riding of Yorkshire Council started trialling the switch off after being awarded £3.3million to study more environmentally friendly ways of lighting main roads, as experts consider whether car headlights make lamp posts redundant.
The project funded by the Department for Transport aims to make the local highway network much greener, with the Yorkshire Council’s street lighting scheme one of seven projects funded across the UK.
The lights have been switched off along the A164 from the Humber Bridge to Willerby and from Cottingham to Skidby, and the A1079 from Dunswell Roundabout to Ennerdale Bridge.
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The lights have been switched off along the A164 and the A1079
GETTY/EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL
The trial will run for 12 months, with the behaviour of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians closely monitored by the council, which revealed that 80 per cent of road accidents happen during daytime hours.
The trial began on April 4, with motorists set to notice that lights will remain switched off at night. The council noted that streetlights in residential areas are not included in the scheme and will not be affected.
If the trial proves to be successful, it could lead to more than one million street lights being switched off in out-of-town areas across the country.
The project aims to reduce carbon emissions and savemillions of pounds of public money spent on road lighting.
In the past year, the council has installed more than 80kmofreflective white lines, over 5,000 solar-powered illuminated road studs and around 140 square metres of new, highly reflective signs on the A1079 and A164.
They have been designed to give drivers visual indications to navigate the road without the need for traditional overhead lighting.
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.
"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 report back to the council on how safely drivers are behaving in daylight and nighttime or when visibility is poor.
The AI-powered system is active on both routes and will help the council collect data and monitor road safety.
The section of road along the A1079 will still retain some lighting as the council will be switching over from standard street lighting to a new system of pedestrian-only lighting in the village of Hayton, near Pocklington.
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The AI system uses thermal imaging cameras to collect data on the roads
EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCIL
According to the authority, there are around 600 streetlights in the East Riding trial areas, with each light using 100 tonnes of CO2 during its lifetime. The council highlighted that 20streetlights use the equivalent amount of carbon to drive a family car to the moon.
