Jonzky
super member
Reged: 05/10/08
Posts: 136
Loc: London
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An old article, really good news for people in the UK.
Article
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My Scopes:
CPC 1100 WOW
130 SLT (Broken)
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Brought to you from the light polluted London
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Dave-Ryan
super member
Reged: 06/24/04
Posts: 126
Loc: Cumbria, England
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Just think of all the telescopes we could rob. 
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Dave
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Meade 10" LX200gps
Telescope House FPL-53ED 80mm Refractor
Meade DSI Pro III
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Illinois
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/18/06
Posts: 528
Loc: near Chicago, Illinois USA
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Thanks for an article! Its good for us to do something! England is small country and they do something about light pollution and we still have to something about the light pollution in USA! All street lamps in the past is out of date and we can't wait for all need to be replace for better streetlights that go down and reduce glares!
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Astronomer since 1975!
Meade 16" Lightbridge Dobsonian
Orion 10" SkyQuest Classic Dobsonian
Tele Vue Eyepieces
Orion Expanse Wide-Field 6mm eyepiece
4.5" F5 Reflector since 1982!
Orion Narrowband and SkyGlow filters
Member of IDA, let's fight light pollution!
Old Edmund 6"F8...donated to cousins
Super Polaris C8...donated to Byron Observatory in Illinois
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Cygnus_x1
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 2094
Loc: Isle of Wight, England
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In the UK we are seeing a slight change for the better in people's attitudes towards light pollution as the Campaign for Dark Skies and Campaign to Protect Rural England are doing a good job raising awareness of LP and campaigning against it. Ok, there are still a lot of uninformed people who will yell, jump up and down and shout about 'blackout' 'increased crime' and 'risk of injuries' but overall, a lot more people are becoming aware of light pollution for various reasons from the lack of stars visible in the sky to the fact the lights are often intrusive.
There's still a long way to go, though...
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Visual Deep Sky Observing
Visual Astronomy blog
Fotopic astronomy gallery My photos from astronomy events, etc
8x42 binoculars 'light thimble'
4" refractor and 4" Meade SCT 'light cups'
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KI4YUN
super member
Reged: 04/21/08
Posts: 135
Loc: Satsuma, Florida, USA
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Well also to add alot of times robberies and crime rates should go down, because most crime actually happens in lit places *I didn't say "well" lit places* Also think of the old saying. You can't see them, they can't see you. Unless they have night vision goggles 
Also to add to Illinois's comment is that the U.S.A. is too large to make that dramatic of a change, and California would be the first state to implement it since they are actually doing something about energy, and there would be huge protests for cutting energy back. It really is a shame that they can't just cut the power from midnight to sun-up.
Next time I go to the Amazon I will definatly be taking my scope with me because the views from that place astonished me enough to get into astronomy.
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-Tristan
Orion Skyview Pro 8 GoTo
Nikon D200
"A smart man learns from his own mistakes, but a wise man will learn from another's mistakes." -Me
"When all else fails...." Ham Radio
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jrw11
sage
Reged: 06/09/07
Posts: 492
Loc: U.S.A.
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But, the larger the country, the more needed the change.And,the greater will be the impact. People need light to see what they're doing. Criminals are no different.
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Celestron C6n -HD Reflector
dual axis drive motors added
Orion 80mm Short tube refractor
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Early 70's Pentax 7x50
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4 Minolta Srt cameras
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120 and 220 film backs
over 50 other film cameras
several eyepieces
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Jonzky
super member
Reged: 05/10/08
Posts: 136
Loc: London
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Well thinking about it, I live next to a high street, I assume they will leave the lighting on a high street so people on the high street will be safer, but like always, some people hang around on some side streets and are opportunists who if they see someone who looks like a target then they will mug him, but if it is dark then they will not hang around any of the side streets then less crime.
But then there could be more organized crime where houses could be robbed and people could see it as a chance to "get" a person in the night and beat him up.
So in my opinion less gang crime more organized crime.
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My Scopes:
CPC 1100 WOW
130 SLT (Broken)
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Brought to you from the light polluted London
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starramus
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 1124
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I am in agreement with Edmund King in the article that the local authorities are doing this to save money rather than the environment. I doubt very much that the power companies will reduce output anyway even with this lighter load. Capacity has to be maintained for the peak periods. So the score is economics 1 and the environment 0. And those local bureaucrats are probably going to give themselves a handsome raise for saving that money.
But any darkness is to be celebrated. Woo hoo!
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Tonk
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/19/04
Posts: 3422
Loc: Leeds, UK, 54N
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Quote:
the local authorities are doing this to save money
Yes but its the residents money they are saving - your council tax pays for the lights to be run all night
I live in a UK street with NO lights. The crime at night is nil as long as I've been living there. We get a quarterly newsletter from the local police reporting total crime in the area. Its interesting that when there is crime in teh neighbourhood its during the daytime and its mostly "walk ins" via unlocked doors or car theft usually via "letter box fishing" - hooking car keys off pegs via front door letter box!
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Televue 85, GM-8/Gemini, Canon 10D
Coronado SM60/BF10, Baader Herschel Wedge
Leeds Sky Clock Ripon Sky Clock
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THEPLOUGH
Nailed Again
Reged: 01/11/08
Posts: 3507
Loc: Carlisle, Cumbria, ENGLAND
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What ever the case I have left a comment praising the government for such a good idea. Weather it's to save money or resources, it will still cut down on LP..... 
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Geoff...
Nexstar 8SE -- 9X50 RACI Finder scope... 6.3 F/R.-- 13 & 17mm Hyperion EPs.. 25mm Celestron E- Lux EP.. 2X Celestron X-Cel Barlow-- + A few bits and pieces..
Don't think expensive equipment will make up for lack of talent or practice..
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Stephen.S
member
Reged: 08/05/06
Posts: 22
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Hi,
I recently saw the Daily Mail article myself, and I "thought typical of the right wing press to stir up anxiety about crime". Don't they know that the vast majority of crime, especially burglaries occur during the day?
The one good thing to come out of the high oil prices we're seeing at the moment, is that sooner or later, councils will have to do someting about wasteful street lighting. As mentioned previously, we're already seeing this in some areas of the UK, but unfortunitly, not in the cities as yet.
Stephen
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panhard
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 2102
Loc: 43.88 n 79.17 w
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Quote:
I am in agreement with Edmund King in the article that the local authorities are doing this to save money rather than the environment. I doubt very much that the power companies will reduce output anyway even with this lighter load. Capacity has to be maintained for the peak periods. So the score is economics 1 and the environment 0. And those local bureaucrats are probably going to give themselves a handsome raise for saving that money.
But any darkness is to be celebrated. Woo hoo!
The environment still scores even though money was the primary reason for that action. I would call it even, I would like that trade off here.
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10"Sky watcher dob
8 & 17mm Hyperion eye pieces
12x50 binos
A love for this hobby
"What goes around comes around."
"She who must be obeyed."
Herb c
cloudy nights my # 1 site
43.53°n 79.17°w
http://cleardarksky.com/c/MtAlbrt1ONkey.html
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lunartic65
sage
Reged: 12/26/06
Posts: 307
Loc: Dublin Ireland
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I can see one possible downside to councils turning off their streetlights after midnight, householders are going to want their lighting back and will begin to install those horrible halogen lamps offering up ridiculous amounts of light for a small area. And if they are anything like some of the people in my locality they won't be installed properly and most of the light will go sideays and up.
Lack of streelighting and crime always go hand in hand in the eyes of the public, no matter what statistics are trotted out. Recently there has been a spate of burglaries in my neighbourhood, and all of them have taken place during the day. A burglar is more likely to break into a house during daylight because there is a very good chance that the occupants will be out at work.
Edmund King is spot on, this is not an issue of environmentalism, it is all about money.
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Paul
Four weddings and a funeral, where's the difference?
Al Bundy
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PEterW
super member
Reged: 01/02/06
Posts: 131
Loc: SW London, UK
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We have seen a rise in lighting in city centres over the last decade as councils install CCTV... which has been shown to have no effect on the rate of crime. The fact that criminals don't list lighting in their top reasons for not breaking into a property isn't well known. I would like to see a time of day vs burgulary study, to see if the daytime is preferred as most people are at work.
From the article I reckon it will take a LOT of studies and evidence to budge the irrational FEAR that us Brits have about the dark.... all those 'bad' people hiding in the shadows ready to pounce..... back to the 'dark ages' of past centuries! Talk to any old people about life in the Blitz of the 1940's and they'll tell you that the stars were brilliant!
All I can say is that the massive hike in fuel bills and the final realisation in the UK that burning stuff is making the weather change may yet defect light pollution, but we are only taking the first few baby steps in that direction, it could all come to nothing.
Fingers crossed.
PEterW
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