Mon, 26 Aug, 2013 02:58:30 AM
EUR 1.2 million to be saved annually
FTimes-STT Report, August 26
Street lights have been shut down in Uusimaa early Friday night under the energy saving programme. Photo Lehtikuva
The government has undertaken a move to save energy by keeping street lights off in 20 per cent of the total government roads and thus save EUR 1.2 million annually.
After an experimental programme at three places for last one year, the energy saving programme has already started in a few places in Uusimaa and Lapland, roads and highways sources said.
Sources said that the programme started after the pilot project proved that putting lights off in one-fifth of the roads where the traffic movement is very thin and would neither hamper vehicular movement nor create a security threat for the commuters.
Photo Lehtikuva
There are 78,000 kilometres of roads maintained by the state and keeping lights off in 20 per cent of the total roads would help save EUR 1.2 million every year, said sources.
“Our target is to keep lights off in 10 percent of the roads in Uusimaa and 40 percent in Lapland under the saving programme,” said the Information Technology Department manager of transport agency, Kari Lehtonen.
The manager also said that putting light off in the roads in Lapland is safer compared to the roads in Uusimaa as vehicular movement is very thin during the night in Lapland.
“We will not bring any road under the saving programme, if it is not safe,” said Lehtonen, adding that the target is not bringing any road under the programme forcibly and every road would be estimated from different aspects.
Only the roads where vehicular movement is very thin during the night time were earmarked for the programme.
Earlier, the authority introduced experimental light saving programme at Rusko, Tarvasjoki and Huittinen in Main Finland and Satakunta for almost a year.
“The lights went off at many places on Friday,” Road Maintenance expert of Main Finland Ely Centre, Juha Mäki said, adding that 190 kilometres out of the total 960 kilometres in Main Finland and Satakunta will be brought under the saving programme.
Mäki said they did not get any feedback from the people about keeping the lights off on Friday but realised that people of some areas even did not understand whether the lights of the roads went off or not.