Road Lighting (Hansard, 11 January 1993)

§ 22. Mr. Peter Atkinson
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to reduce the level of pollution from road lights in rural areas.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
In future, trunk road lighting in rural areas will use lanterns designed to limit light pollution. General guidance will be published to make lighting more environmentally sensitive.

§ Mr. Clifton-Brown
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the increased energy costs that will arise as a result of increased street, road and motorway lighting over the next five years.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
The energy costs for road lighting over the next five years will depend on a number of factors such as the type of lamp used, increases in the road length lit, and any changes in the unit costs of electricity.
By far the largest users of energy for street and road lighting are local highway authorities and no central records are kept. On all-purpose trunk roads and motorways, detailed plans are subject to change according to circumstances, but on present assumptions the overall energy consumption seems likely to rise in the order of 20 per cent. over the next five years.