Lights out in your town?

[TheOtherHalf]

Just been listening on the news about a soldier on leave in Clevedon, Somerset who was killed whilst walking home early hours due to street lighting being switched off from midnight to 5 am I think it was. very ttragic. When we are out walking late at night and its not very good lighting, we always take torch and wear reflective vest. Are these cutbacks happening in your town an how have they affected you

[rowanwitch]

I wish they would do it everywhere so we can learn to look up at the stars and actually see the sky is it should look

[cazzz1975]

was this guy sober?

[B00]

Yes, there happening in my town, but no, not affected me. Once it gets dark, im indoors, closeted on my sofa with no intentions of moving until the day after.

[ummmm]

Did he walk in front of the car?

I can't see how the street lights have anything to do with it. Cars have lights...they are easy to spot.

[rowanwitch]

People seem oblivious to the need to change what you do to cope with different conditions they used to have 'wear something light at night ads' and with todays tendency to wear so much black it may need an updated version to remind people .

[cazzz1975]

I do hate the blame culture, only recently a mans body was found in a canal where apparently he fell in whilst drunk, I was surprised that british waterways were not sued for having a canal close to a pub!

[boxtops]

Same with cyclists - I despair of the ones I see at night, no lights, no reflective clothing. Cars still have lights - having street lights shouldn't stop him seeing a car coming.

[Ankou]

with ummmm here. i imagine he was staggering around in the road at 1.15am after being in the pub all night.

such accidents happen in broad daylight.

[boxtops]

^ NO street lights

[rowanwitch]

Sad for family of course but people do such stupid things... no one considers risk any more there is a whole generation now who don't know how to

[TheOtherHalf]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...and-somerset-16373013

[ummmm]

Cazzzz, my mate drowned in a canal drunk.

[Ankou]

"Edward Heal, a 19-year-old trooper in the Kings Royal Hussars, was hit by a car in North Somerset after leaving a pub in the early hours of the morning."

[ummmm]

Lights or not, the path is wide enough.

[ummmm]

So unless the car mounted the path and hit him, which would have happened regardless of lights, then I'm guessing that he's to blame.

Our streets lights have been off for at least 6 months.

[cazzz1975]

its a bit rubbish of them to blame the lights out, should they blame the pub as well I wonder?

[starone]

We had complete blackouts during the war. Anyone foolish enough to go out in it took torches and wore light coloured clothing.

[Ankou]

the death of anyone on our roads is a tragedy, sometimes for the driver as well.

but if you read the dm version of 28 dec its all a bit nauseating.

soldier = hero
christmas = christian drinking tradition
home = family man
duty = tour of afghanistan
streetlights off = mean irresponsible cost cutting council and green eco lefties killing dutiful christian family loving heros on jet black (i.e. black is bad) english country roads.

[TheOtherHalf]

From the news report I dont know if he was to blame or not. Could just be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as sadly sometimes happens. Its still being investigated and tragic.
My OH has to cycle 4 miles each way to work in pitch black countryside and although he has really good lights (costing over £100) he is affected by the oncoming car lights, as one minute its pitch black and then dazzled by headlights and then black again suddenly. He came off his bike due to this only recently as he hit the grassy verge when this happened. Luckily landed on grass.
I was really just curious as to whether this street lighting cutback was happening in lots of places.

[Ankou]

"he is affected by the oncoming car lights, as one minute its pitch black and then dazzled by headlights and then black again suddenly"

wouldn't that still happen with streetlights on? my town has a lights off system, although not down my road. personally i would welcome it.