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Some years ago we had a talk at ASSA by the person in charge of lighting in the Adelaide council. I raised the studies conducted in Europe that suggest crime does not go down when lights are on but in fact goes up considerably. He told me point blank that he knew of the studies but the council was going with a minority study that said lights prevent crime.
It is this sort of lunacy that pervades the wider community. I have a house a south eastern town that has 50 lights but only 5 are on each night. The others have been switched off and is part of a bylaw enacted 25 years ago for the township. We don't have crime because people need to carry a torch to conduct a criminal offence. It is fully in line with what the studies show also.
Lights should be switched off as a matter of practice. Years ago in Adelaide the lights were switched off at 1 am. The crime rate was lower but I suppose it could have been because of the lower population. Only lights on major highways need be on. Whole suburbs could be switched off.
If the burning of fossil fuels is supposed to have such dire effects (last ten years the global temperature has in fact reduced by 0.7 degrees see bolt report last week) then surely turning off the lights at a designated time would reduce the burning of said fuels and would be helping everyone???
Of well preaching to the converted.
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