Lights out on sections of UK motorway network

Motorway lighting along a section of the M6 in Lancashire in the UK will be switched off between midnight and 5am in a move to reduce energy costs, carbon emissions, and light pollution, the Highways Agency has announced.
January 31, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

Motorway lighting along a section of the M6 in Lancashire in the UK will be switched off between midnight and 5am in a move to reduce energy costs, carbon emissions, and light pollution, the 503 Highways Agency has announced. The motorway junctions and their approaches will remain lit.

This stretch of the motorway has a good safety record and a low traffic flow between midnight and 5am which is why it has been chosen as the latest site for the Highways Agency's national programme of switch-offs.

Targeted switch-offs have been successfully delivered in other parts of the country including along stretches of the motorway network in Kent, Berkshire, Hampshire, Devon and Avon and Somerset.
"This is the seventh site in England and we expect it to work as successfully as everywhere else, achieving up to a 40 per cent saving in carbon emissions and energy use as well as giving local communities reduced light pollution of the night sky,” said Andy Withington, the Highways Agency's performance manager for south Lancashire.

Timing devices at the roadside will control when the lights switch off and on again. The Highways Agency's Regional Control Centre near Junction 23 of the M6 at Newton-le-Willows, can override the mechanism if needed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK to tackle US$1.6 billion cost of motorway closures
    April 25, 2012
    A UK government strategy to tackle congestion caused by motorway closures and drive down the £1 billion (US$1.6 billion) annual cost to the economy has been unveiled by Roads Minister Mike Penning, who also announced the launch of a £3 million ($4.87 million) fund for police forces to purchase laser scanning technology to speed up of the investigation process and incident clear up times.
    Read More
  • Rapid growth of bus rapid transit schemes on US Pacific coast
    January 27, 2012
    This section pulls together all the multi-modal topics in each issue. Subject matter will include smartcards; ticketing and payment systems; passenger information systems; fleet management for buses, trains and light rail; park and ride systems; on-line access to real-time information via Internet portals
    Read More
  • Gearing up for the global electric vehicle revolution
    May 3, 2019
    As transport, communications and energy networks become inextricably linked, policy makers are recognising the implications for our built environment – and the growing electric vehicle market will have a major impact on the world’s infrastructure, says Rolton Group’s Chris Evans
    Read More
  • Jenoptik’s 100th Specs operation goes live on Grane Road
    November 8, 2017
    Jenoptik’s Specs Average Speed Enforcement Cameras have been installed between Junction 5 of the M65 near Belthorn though to A56 at Haslingden, following The Lancashire Road Safety Partnership’s plan to reduce casualties and collisions across chosen routes. The cameras are also designed with the intention of influencing driver behavior to create smoother traffic flows. Average Speed Check Signs are also being used throughout the route to ensure that drivers are aware that their speed is being monitored.
    Read More

Highlighted Content