To save money – and the planet – there has been a programme to turn off street lights for some of the night in parts of Sevenoaks. We’re been asked by councillors whether early-morning rail users have found any problems with such “dark streets”.
So we would be interested to hear:
- whether the lights in streets around our rail stations are switched on early enough by passengers who catch early morning trains?
- which specific streets around our rail stations are unlit when passengers want to use them, and what time the lights need to be switched on?
Please let us know your views and suggestions using the comment box below.
Bradbourne Park road is a nightmare in the mornings without the street lighting. It is particularly hazardous because of the poor state of the pavement and the amount of overgrown hedges. The lights certainly haven’t been on at 6am. I would suggest from 5.30am would be reasonable
Switching residential streetlights off overnight makes a lot of sense. As well as saving money, it reduces light pollution of the sky (it would be nice to see the glories of the Milky Way again). For anyone concerned about home security, a PIR floodlight is a far better solution because it draws attention to an intruder, and for commuters travelling very early or very late an LED torch (often included in smartphones) is the answer.
Of far greater concern is the almost total inaction of the Kent Highways unit. Has it been disbanded?
Outside Sevenoaks Station, the missing bollard on the central island means that the anti-pedestrian railings are waiting to slice a motorcyclist in half: the railings can be virtually invisible to southbound traffic because they are viewed edge on (the island is offset into the traffic lane). This was reported over two years ago; needless to say, nothing was ever done and the railings were hit in an accident, just as predicted.
The roadbridge over the railway at Sevenoaks Station is often in total darkness because of no fewer than four failed or intermittent streetlights.
A little further from the station, the zebra crossing outside Lidl is a deathtrap: the stripes on the road have all but disappeared, the white reflective paint on the poles is worn out / filthy, and the area is in darkness because both the streetlights on the northbound approach have failed. Nothing has been done despite these faults also being reported over two years ago (refs. 128758 and 134157). One of the bollards has recently been hit; next time it is likely to be a pedestrian.
Similarly, the zebra crossing at White Hart Parade (Riverhead) is another deathtrap because of a failed beacon and the area has long been in darkness because of two failed streetlights.
The list of unresolved faults is endless: in Sevenoaks High Street / London Road about a third of the building-mounted streetlights have failed.
But just in case anyone thinks I’m being a bit harsh, I’ll happily admit that KCC Highways still do have a residual presence. They are very good at cluttering everywhere with ugly and unnecessary red signs such as NEW ROAD LAYOUT AHEAD or the even more pointless SIGNAL PRORITIES CHANGED and then leaving them up for decades in breach of the 3-month limit !
I am an early morning commuter, but I cycle to the station. I am not inconvenienced by the lights out policy, and I think it is a sensible way to save some money. However, it will be interesting to hear what those who walk to the station feel about this.
Cycling south out of Sevenoaks towards Riverhill feels really dangerous with no lighting. The lights used to be there as far as Gracious Lane but are now all off. Because of the overhanging trees there is no natural light on this part of Tonbridge Road.
I walk home from the station to Riverhead. I feel that nowhere can claim to be well lit on that route. I sometimes walk on the pavement to white hart parade and sometimes via uplands.
I have taken to wearing a HiViz jacket for the walk, have a flashing red light on my rucksack and a white torch which can be switched to flashing mode when needed eg if crossing the road at a poorly lit zebra crossing or side street.
Hitchen hatch lane lower end is almost total darkness. If I were a lone female I would feel vulnerable at that section of the street.
Following my earlier post, all the lighting faults at the White Hart Parade crossing have finally been rectified. But the almost invisible Lidl crossing still remains a death trap, with the streetlights opposite Lidl and the Halfway House both being permanently dark, and the one nearest the crossing being dark almost all the time.
The Lidl crossing is considered so dangerous that it’s a mobile speed trap site. Of course, speed traps are highly profitable, but it seems there’s no money for crossing maintenance so it’s just too bad if someone gets killed.
In contrast, money’s no object when it comes to silly signs and poles: despite the beacons having internally illuminated poles, the low-speed Tesco Riverhead crossings are cluttered with four unnecessary illuminated signs !
And this sign was happily mounted on a streetlight until some genius decided it needed its very own expensive new pole !
@ Jeremy
I reported this streetlight fault over two years ago along with many others (fault ref. 17138588 dated 7 Jan 14), but it’s still dark.
KCC Highways simply aren’t fit for purpose.