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

  • Varying acceptance of tolling in Africa
    January 6, 2016
    Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.
    Read More
  • Varying acceptance of tolling in Africa
    January 6, 2016
    Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.
    Read More
  • ASECAP examines tolling during downturns
    September 22, 2014
    ASECAP debated the impact of the financial crises on Europe’s tolling companies and considered the future in diverse economies. Colin Sowman picks some of the highlights. This year ASECAP (Association Europeenne des Concessionnaires d’Autoroutes et d’Ouvrages a’ Peage, with members in 21 countries managing 46,000km of roadway) held its annual Study & Information Days in Athens, Greece – one of the country hardest hit by recent economic problems. While the theme of the conference, Ensuring Sustainability in
    Read More
  • Weigh in Motion gets smarter
    January 4, 2023
    Weigh in Motion technology is at the forefront of protecting road surfaces and helping enforcement activity – but could it also play a key role in the development of Smart Cities?
    Read More

Highlighted Content