Don't keep us in the dark - join our 'keep the lights on' campaign

Jan 20 2011 Buckinghamshire Examiner

ENOUGH is enough. Today, we fight back against ludicrous plans to switch off 10,000 more street lights to save cash.

We believe this is a cut too far, and the decision by Bucks County Council (BCC) will make our roads more dangerous for motorists, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The council announced the idea as part of a raft of spending cuts to save £58million and balance its books. The cuts are essential and will hit us all hard.

Indeed, members of the public know this, and we are all prepared to shoulder our fair share of the burden.

But the council has a duty of care to keep us safe and to make cuts with a due sense of responsibility. This move will make our roads more dangerous and, as your local newspaper, we cannot stand by and let that happen.

The council says the lights will 'only' be switched off (or dimmed) between midnight and 5.30am.

But this is in addition to the lights being switched off already and plenty of people still use the roads during these hours.

Let us be clear: this is not just our campaign, it is YOUR campaign. We have gauged opinions and we know how unpopular the plans are with the community.

Our campaign has been backed this week by road users, charities, independent road safety experts, parish councils and readers.

Ray Stacey, whose 23-year-old daughter Elaine died in a crash on an unlit road last year, is one of those who fear more lives will be lost if these plans go ahead.

And the cost of keeping these lights on? An average of just 36p per person per year.

You have until February 4 to tell BCC what you think of these plans before a decision is made. With your support, we can persuade BCC to ditch these crazy plans.

Join the debate online of fill in the coupon in the Bucks Examiner and join the fight to keep our street lights on.