[SC04OCT]

I remember as a kid, in the back of my Dad's car on long trips on the motorway at night, using the street lights to temporarily light up my GameBoy screen as we went pass each one so I could carry on with my Pokemon save.

Motorways are mostly unlit now, and whenever I drive through a lit area, it brings back all these nostalgic feelings and I just think it looks so much nicer with that orange glow over the road.

Sucks that they're mostly gone.



RIP.

[Dann]

Waste of money though.
Cars have headlights so why do you need lit roads?

Fair enough when headlights were shit but new xenon and led offerings give excellent visibility

[half Colin]

You need to go to Belgium. They're the only country with a fully lit motorway network - and a huge electric bill!

[mjn77]

Originally Posted by half Colin

You need to go to Belgium. They're the only country with a fully lit motorway network - and a huge electric bill!

And a lot of their motorways are dead straight! The lights are needed to keep you awake! Lol

[Somerset Jim]

The Belgian motorways are predominantly lit. You'd love it there ;-)

[abeardo83]

Biggest gripe for me isn't lights, but that most of the cats eyes on the roads (mainly A and B roads) are completely shot now. Such a simple thing, but they make such a difference!

[AWSAWS]

With LEDs and solar power etc it must be far less costly to light motorways today than it was in the past. There are more and more drivers on the road so road tax revenues must be increasing.

I think motorways should be lit because a car's lights can only illuminate so much. You can't see what's happening on certain parts of the surroundings which could pose a risk to yourself and others.

I know there's this idea that by making conditions more dangerous drivers will slow down. Sounds stupid to me. Most cars now drive below speeds they are capable of.

[Ao1]

Car lights have improved significantly. Street lighting is a waste of money, CO2 and worse of all they create unnecessary light pollution. The night sky is something to behold, but it’s not visible due to light pollution.

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by Ao1

Car lights have improved significantly. Street lighting is a waste of money, CO2 and worse of all they create unnecessary light pollution. The night sky is something to behold, but it’s not visible due to light pollution.

More crimes are committed in unlit areas. So there are other costs to consider.

Improved lights can only light so much.

CO2 could be massively reduced with use of solar energy to charge lights during the day

Light pollution can be addressed by better designs

[Ao1]

Originally Posted by AWSAWS

More crimes are committed in unlit areas. So there are other costs to consider.

Improved lights can only light so much.

CO2 could be massively reduced with use of solar energy to charge lights during the day

Light pollution can be addressed by better designs

Current PV technology at our latitude is ineffective and a waste of money. You need massive subsidies to make it financially viable. Street lights need electricity. Wiring, lamps, bulbs incur expensive capital investment and maintenance costs.

Car lights are a more effective solution and the latest technology using laser lights takes them one step further.

Lighting up roads, especially with low night traffic, is an out of date approach and it's no longer necessary.

Security? Night vision CCTV.

My 2 cents anyway.

[imy]

Latest car light technology comes at a significant cost which not everyobe specs meaning 2nd hand car market are left with shit lights. My e90 lights don't show sweet FA.

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by imy

Latest car light technology comes at a significant cost which not everyobe specs meaning 2nd hand car market are left with shit lights. My e90 lights don't show sweet FA.

At the speeds we allegedly travel it's sometimes best not to be lit up

[misterS3]

I'm over 40 now, and prefer lit up sections of road. Especially when travelling at motorway speeds. As good as Xenons are, i can see a lot further (with glasses) than my lights alone can light up.

It's not very often that you need to see that far ahead, but that one time some granny is coming the other way, or there's been an accident, having a few extra seconds to react COULD make all the difference. But i hope non of us are in that situation and think...yeah that old fekker from E90 was right

[IanS100]

+1 I also find driving a lot more tiring in the pitch black with only the myriad of badly aimed headlights for company

[AWSAWS]

It's true things can appear mighty fast at 70+mph from the darkness.
I recall once being told about when a truck lost a wheel and the next guy coming along went straight over the unlit wheel losing his sump. I wasn't there but I imagine lights would help for events like this.


There you are civilisation

I'm pretty lucky that I live in a small town and still see most of the stars at night. Not saying I don't like that.