Waltham Abbey residents join hundreds opposing street lights switch off in Epping Forest
HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling for street lights to remain on in Epping Forest.Essex County Council introduced “part-night lighting” at the weekend, in which 70 per cent of street lights go out between midnight and 5am. The online petition demands the abolition or delay in the scheme and has topped 200 signatures.
The organiser Alison Wagstaffe, a Buckhurst Hill resident who uses the Underground station at Epping, pointed out the last train arrives more than an hour after the lights turn out. Kelly Ward, who signed the petition wrote: “There are people that do night work and come home between the hours of 12-5 and should not have to walk through the street in the dark this will make people very vulnerable especially ladies.“Also there are an extremely amount of burglaries happening at present in Waltham Abbey and this is just going to increase it even more.” Town centres, road junctions, remote footpaths and areas covered by CCTV are exempt from the switch-off.Another petition supporter, Michelle Smith wrote: “I work in Ongar and have to drive home between 1am and 3am through Epping and Waltham Abbey and a lot of my journey home has no street lights. “I am constantly looking out for deers which I have had lots in the roads or near the roads. To not have any lights would make my journey even more scary.”
District councillor Jeane Lea (Con, Waltham Abbey North East) also had reservations. She said: “I wasn’t for it myself. My own personal view as someone who has to do a lot of driving is that they have to ensure the road markings are adequate. “You have got to have cutbacks, providing there are enough white markings on the roads that are visible – if you don’t know the area there could be a problem.” The scheme is estimated to achieve energy savings of 20 per cent, about £70,000 per year.
To sign the petition visit www.change.org/en-GB/petitions and search “Epping Forest”.