When Powys County Council switched off one in three of our street lights, many people contacted me with concerns for their safety. people were concerned about anti-social behaviour, crime and road safety. However one issue which was raised by nearly everyone was the huge amount of lighting on the trunk roads, and in particular, on the roundabout on the Dderw in Llyswen and on the Talgarth by-pass. I shared this concern and carried out a survey of people living in the community. The result was clear. A huge majority of people said that they wanted to see some of the lights switched off on the trunk roads. It was felt that it would help save energy and that there are far too many lights on on the trunk roads late at night and in the early hours of the morning when traffic levels are at their lowest.

I decided to take this matter up with the Welsh Minister for Transport and Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM.  In his response he told me that the trunk road lighting is designed to meet a specific purpose in terms of providing sufficent lighting levels for drivers at potentially problematic junctions and roundabouts, and also for pedestrian safety if the trunk road passes through villages and towns.

Currently the Welsh Assembly Government does not intend to switch off any trunk road lights as they feel this could take the level of lighting to below the defined safety standard.

However, I am pleased that the Minister confirmed that alternative approaches to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions are being investigated by the Welsh Assembly Government. These include the use of dimming devices that reduce the illumination between midnight and 5am, whilst maintaining lighting levels commensurate with the traffic conditions. Better lamp design and the use of white filaments help to minimise night-time pollution in rural areas.

The Minister also suggested that, in the future, and as technology develops, the use of LED lamps should significantly reduce both maintenance and running costs.

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