Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether she plans to review the suitability of the current criteria for the installation of street lighting in rural areas, where significant numbers of children use rural roads for school transport.
Minister for Infrastructure: My Department’s policy for the provision of street lighting in rural locations considers:-
The density of housing within a community, including public buildings with significant nighttime use; and,
Road safety, where street lighting would contribute to a reduction in the number of night-time collisions.
The policy is subject to continual informal review and ensures that the limited resources available for the provision of street lighting are directed to those areas where they can provide the maximum benefit to the public, particularly where road or infrastructure safety is concerned.
It also serves to balance the demand for more rural lighting against the unwelcome effects of increased urbanisation of the countryside, the environmental impact of night sky light pollution on people, wildlife and flora and the financial costs of providing and maintaining additional public lighting installations.
As such, I have no plans to change this policy at this time.
ENDS
Your MLA 