Street Light Replacement
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Why is the Council replacing street lights?
As street lights age they become more likely to suffer from corrosion and cracking and
therefore present a greater risk of collapse and injury to the public. The lanterns/lamps also
become more prone to failure and energy costs continue to rise along with concerns
relating to pollution and the environment. It is therefore cost effective and beneficial to the
environment for the Council to undertake a programme of works to replace older street
lights with modern units before they become a danger even if the existing unit appears to
be safe and working.
Why has the new lamp column not been painted green?
In the past many of Wokingham Borough’s lamp columns have typically been painted a
green colour for aesthetic reasons. However, the paint finish isn’t necessary for the safety
of the street light, as the galvanised steel column material is already resistant to corrosion.
Reviewing such decisions in the current financial climate, the Council has decided not to
paint the lamp columns green in current and future replacement programmes. Typically this
decision allows a further 20 columns to be replaced each year from the budget.
Why does the new street light produce a much whiter light than before?
When we replace a street light, we upgrade the light with more energy efficient equipment
that uses white light. Aside from the energy benefits, white light provides a better quality of
light. Compared with older yellow or orange coloured light sources, the modern white lamps
more closely mimic the way humans view objects under daylight conditions. Additionally,
through the use of improved modern optics, the new street lights reduce the amount of
wasted upward light and enhance the appearance of the night sky. The new equipment also
uses more controlled optics. The main beam of the light is focused down onto the ground in
an attempt to maximise the useful light produced by the street light, and minimise any
wasted spill light that adds to light pollution.
Why has the street light been moved to a new location?
When a street light is replaced, it is not always practical to put the lamp column in the exact
same location as the old one. There may also be benefits in relocating a column, for
example columns close to the edge of a road are more likely to be damaged through
vehicle accidents. For the safety of all road users, we therefore aim to move the street lights
to the back edge of the public highway.
How do you decide which street lights to replace?
We prioritise the column replacements by safety concerns, i.e. age of the asset, condition,
column height and surroundings, in order to minimise the impact of a column collapsing and
injuring someone. We also account for other major highway projects where timescales
allow and endeavour to replace as many units on a road as possible.
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Is the street light that has been replaced going to be switched off at night?
The lighting upgrade uses technology which allows us to implement “Part-night Lighting”.
This is the Council’s energy saving policy of switching off street lights which aren’t needed
between 0:30am and 5:30am. All new street lights will be eligible for Part-night Lighting.
Before switching to Part-night operation, all of the roads and street lights go through a crime
and safety audit. The criteria in these audits consider the safety of residents. For example,
lighting at key junctions is an exemption for a light being operated on a part night basis. The
full list of the exemption criteria is available in the “Part-night Lighting - Frequently Asked
Questions” document on the Council’s website: www.wokingham.gov.uk/partnight/
Why does my vegetation require trimming?
Under the Highways Act 1980, the Council can require that private vegetation is trimmed
back if it is impacting on the use of the public highway. For example, if a hedge is blocking
a street light from shining on the area for which it is intended or if branches of a tree prevent
access to carry out essential maintenance on a street light. When we write to you, we will
attach a formal notice giving you 14 days to cut back the overgrowth. Please note that if you
do not comply with the notice, the Council may carry out the work itself and recover its
costs for doing so from you.
Why have street lights in other roads on my estate not been replaced?
We have assessed the street lights by road according to age of the asset, condition, column
height and surroundings and then prioritised on a road by road basis. This ensures we first
target the roads with the columns that most require replacement and avoid installing a mix
of lighting types. Some roads have already had individual street lights replaced over the
years and this therefore reduces the priority for that road. We will however plan to replace
street lights in those roads in the future.
Why has it taken a number of visits by the Council’s contractor to replace the street
light?
In most cases, work to replace the street light requires both our street lighting contractor
and the electricity company to carry out different elements of the work. Additionally,
different operatives are skilled in different functions and different equipment is required for
different operations for example, column installation, lantern installation and wiring, main
electricity cable connection, excavation and resurfacing. It is not usually safe, practical or
economical to have all these different operatives on site at one time or for them to wait on
site until another has finished. The work is therefore carried out in stages over a number of
days.
Why does the street light appear to be located on private property?
When locating the new street light, the Council ensures that the new location remains on
the public highway. What may not be obvious is that the public highway often extends from
the centre of the road through a strip of land beyond the kerb-line typically around 2m wide
(this may vary), often called the “service strip”. Although some residents may use the
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service strip for plantings, this land forms part of the highway. The service strip is used to
run underground utilities that provide services to adjacent properties and for the location of
other utility/highway equipment such as street lights, road signs, communications
equipment, etc. Please note that our contractors are only required to re-instate any
excavations to highway standards. They are not required to replace vegetation or
decorative paving that has been installed by residents however they will make reasonable
efforts to re-plant/re-lay it as existing.
Why is the new street light not yet working?
In most situations, the work to install the street light will be carried out in a number of stages
and over a number of days. If a new lamp column has been installed, the old lamp column
will not be removed until the electricity supply has been removed and reconnected into the
new unit. The new lights use a radio control system which will require a short period to
connect and configure. Once the control system has established a radio link then it should
operate correctly. The Council will then be able to monitor the light remotely and run tests
through the radio system if necessary. If the work has been completed and the light is not
working correctly then please do not hesitate to contact the Council’s Customer Service
team by telephone on (0118) 974 6000, by e-mail to [email protected]
or through the street light fault report form on the Council website at
www.wokingham.gov.uk. We will then arrange for the fault to be investigated and repaired
as necessary.
Why does the new street light not light my property like the old light?
Street lighting is provided to light public roads and footways and the Council is not required
to provide lighting to private property. While some light may spill onto private property, the
new lanterns are much better at controlling and aiming the beam onto the highway where it
is intended. This enables considerable energy savings, associated cost savings and
environmental benefits. Less light is spilled out onto surrounding areas and upwards into
the sky where it would be wasted and would add to light pollution (“sky glow”).
Why does the new light look brighter than the old light?
In most cases the new street lights emit no more light than the old units. In some situations
the new street light may look brighter when viewed from certain positions and this is due to
a number of reasons. The human eye is more receptive to white light so the new lights may
appear brighter than older yellow or orange sodium lights. They are also more efficient at
directing the light towards the highway with less wasted spill light. With less wasted light
falling onto surrounding buildings and trees the contrast between the light on the highway
and the surroundings can give the impression of a brighter light.
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