Struggling Cities Turn Off the Lights: Ingenious or Dangerous?
SodaHead News
2012/01/02 02:02:25
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In tough economic times, cities have no choice but to cut costs everywhere they can. However, as a growing number of cities have decided to sacrifice streetlights, many residents feel that the budget tightening has gone way too far.
Highland Park, Michigan; Myrtle Creek, Oregon; Clintonville, Wisconsin; Brainerd, Minnesota; Santa Rosa, California; Rockford, Illinois: these are just a few of the many cities that have been pushed to do what was once unthinkable—turn off the streetlights in an attempt to stay afloat.
And unlike many other budget cuts, when things get dark people notice. In Highland Park, Michigan, which has removed all but 500 of the city’s 1,600 lights, many residents have felt the need to completely reorder their lives.
“When you come through at night, it’s scary; you have to wonder if anyone is lurking around waiting to catch you off your guard,” said 65-year-old Juanita Kennedy of Highland Park. “I don’t go out to get gas at night. I don’t run to any stores. I try to do everything in the daytime and to be back before night falls.”
Since the streetlight in front of her house was removed, Kennedy has also installed a security system and undergone training to carry a handgun. And she is not the only resident who’s concerned and making lifestyle changes.
Parents worry more about letting their children walk to school in the morning. Motorists complain that they can’t see pedestrians or potholes. And Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church had to move a Saturday evening bible study to 4 p.m. at the urging of congregants.
Yet, Highland Park officials say that they had no other choice; they had to remove the lights so that the DTE Energy company would forgive their accumulated debt of about $4 million.
We completely understand the residents' complaints, but sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
What do you think about struggling cities turning off the lights? Ingenious or dangerous?
Highland Park, Michigan; Myrtle Creek, Oregon; Clintonville, Wisconsin; Brainerd, Minnesota; Santa Rosa, California; Rockford, Illinois: these are just a few of the many cities that have been pushed to do what was once unthinkable—turn off the streetlights in an attempt to stay afloat.
And unlike many other budget cuts, when things get dark people notice. In Highland Park, Michigan, which has removed all but 500 of the city’s 1,600 lights, many residents have felt the need to completely reorder their lives.
“When you come through at night, it’s scary; you have to wonder if anyone is lurking around waiting to catch you off your guard,” said 65-year-old Juanita Kennedy of Highland Park. “I don’t go out to get gas at night. I don’t run to any stores. I try to do everything in the daytime and to be back before night falls.”
Since the streetlight in front of her house was removed, Kennedy has also installed a security system and undergone training to carry a handgun. And she is not the only resident who’s concerned and making lifestyle changes.
Parents worry more about letting their children walk to school in the morning. Motorists complain that they can’t see pedestrians or potholes. And Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church had to move a Saturday evening bible study to 4 p.m. at the urging of congregants.
Yet, Highland Park officials say that they had no other choice; they had to remove the lights so that the DTE Energy company would forgive their accumulated debt of about $4 million.
We completely understand the residents' complaints, but sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
What do you think about struggling cities turning off the lights? Ingenious or dangerous?
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/us/cities-cost-c...
Top Opinion
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☠ Live Free Or Die ☠ 2012/01/02 02:18:20
Two summers ago I converted 100% of all my lighting to LED systems. The net decrease in power consumption was between 13% & 15%. On a farm/ranch which is off the grid that made the difference between adding 6 more $550 panels and 12 more batteries and not having to upgrade at all. Cost of the new bulbs was $1300. Less the roughly 80% rebates from the state and federal tax credits.
Cities can do this too.
why do they always seem to reach for solutions that fall disporportionatly hard on women and poor?
why not cut pay for those city adminstrators making over $50k/yr
The idea is not to actually make sound decisions that help the problem with as little as possible disruption in the lives of their citizens. They are trying to make their citizens as uncomfortable as possible (or as scared) so they will allow MORE TAXATION.
There are WAY too many streetlights in most places, and there is NO need for them at all in urban areas where commercial lights are left on 24 hours per day.
If politicians were people who wanted to help people and NOT control them or make a ton of money maybe we wouldn't be so bad off.
I just wish I could get my son to figure that out but he will real quick when he starts paying the bill himself.
The problem is the politicians don't pay the bills themselves.... they are spending our money. I wonder if the majority of voters who are saying this is dangerous would change their mind if the government sent them a bill every month for $10 to cover the cost of not turning the lights off?
they may not have been "rocket scientists" but he city planners and citizens who voted for leaders in the past thought that paying for streetlights was worth it because it reduces crime...
... and now short sighted people like you who have benefited your whole life from those choices made in the past (bet you have never been mugged on your street) come in and second guess EVERYTHING...making stupid assertions like "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that turning lights off saves money"...
you are an idiot Bill
Mugging? No. Though crime does exist in Georgia, we take care of it unlike you Californians who gave a pass to the Bundy butcher. The reason you have such a crime problem out there is because of your liberalism. Hey! You made your bed and pissed in it. Now you get to sleep in it.
And stop asking the rest of the country to pay for your screw-ups a&&hole.
A typical Californian.....