A number of councillors rejected Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Minister John O’Dowd’s contention that street lighting was being removed in some areas to improve health and safety, at last Monday’s (January 27) monthly meeting of ABC Council .
In correspondence to the council regarding the Dundrum Road, Tassagh, the minister wrote: “My Department’s policy for the provision of street lighting in rural areas was established in 1993 and has not changed.
“This policy states that road lighting will not generally be provided in rural areas except where there is a rural ‘community’.
“For the purpose of this policy, a community means at least 10 dwellings located within a contiguous 200m road length. [And except] where street lighting would contribute to a reduction in the number of night-time collisions.
“In this case, road lighting would only be considered after investigation of night-time collision statistics, and if no other measures are available to reduce the number of such collisions.
“The existing lighting at this location had reached the end of its serviceable life, and if left in place may have presented a safety risk to the public.
“The location does not meet the required criteria for the provision of street lighting and for this reason, in line with existing policy, the lighting was removed and not replaced.
“I can assure you that this policy, which is subject to continuous informal review, as well as formal review, is correctly and consistently implemented.
“I am content that it provides value for money, ensuring that the limited resources available are directed towards replacing lighting in those areas where they can provide the maximum benefit to the majority of the public, as well as reducing future maintenance and energy costs and environmental impacts.”
Cllr Tim McClelland (DUP, Lagan River DEA) said he strongly disagreed with the minister’s assertion regarding any health and safety risk posed by street lighting: “While the Dundrum Road in Tassagh isn’t in my Lagan River DEA, I agree with the sentiment behind the reason for sending the letter to the minister regarding the rural street lighting, and that’ll come as no surprise to those across the chamber.
“In one of the paragraphs there, [it says that] if the lighting had been left in place, it would have presented a safety risk to the public.
“The fact that the lighting has been taken away, certainly in my very rural part of the Lagan River DEA, is a safety risk. So it’s just a bit rich in terms of the wording of the letter.
“I just think that it’s something that the Department really need to have a look at. There’s been much reference this evening in terms of the storm and of the elderly, the vulnerable and so on. Decisions like this are putting the elderly and the vulnerable in rural areas at risk.”
Cllr Keith Ratcliffe (TUV, Cusher DEA) concurred with the Lagan River representative: “I just would like to echo what Cllr McClelland already said.
“The same issue actually happened very locally at a crossroads there, and the lights had been removed. The neighbours weren’t informed, and about three or four days days later there was a serious car accident that I actually came across.
“As Cllr McClelland already said, how does taking away lights improve the area? It’s absolutely ludicrous to think that.
“There was about 15 houses in a row that this affected, and the lights were removed about three or four days beforehand, and there was a serious car accident. I stopped with the the lady. What happened was a bus came along, cut across her and it was a serious car accident.”
Cllr Thomas O’Hanlon (SDLP, Armagh DEA) drew his colleagues’ attention to the following line in the DfI Minister’s letter: “The existing lighting at this location had reached the end of its serviceable life, and if left in place may have presented a safety risk to the public.”
He remarked: “Can we write back to the minister and ask for a copy of the risk assessment? Because the exact same issues happened outside Middletown, there’s a row of pensioners’ bungalows there.
“They’re hiding under this issue of health and safety. But better than that, their communication is abysmal. Residents are coming out and seeing a contractor removing lights outside their dwelling.
“They think ‘Right, they’re upgrading these’ and [the contractor] goes ‘No, sorry, we’re removing it all together’.
“So if we can write back to the Department and get a copy of the risk assessment, I think that would be very useful.”
The proposal to write to the Department for Infrastructure to ask for that information was seconded by Cllr McClelland.
