Transport for London (TfL) is making a huge investment in street lighting that will lead to a 40% reduction in energy use.
The local government body has agreed a new energy efficient lighting programme that will help reduce the cost of lighting the TfL road network (TLRN).
It is one of the largest ‘invest to save’ strategic road lighting projects ever undertaken in the UK, which will see improved reliability and lower operating costs all contributing to better and safer roads.
Across London, TfL has some 52,000 street lights, and as part of Mayor Boris Johnson’s pledge to cut CO2 emissions, TfL has started implementing the energy saving plan which will be delivered over the next three years.
By 2016, the programme aims to reduce associated CO2 by around 9,700 tonnes a year and contribute towards approximately £1.85m of savings for TfL a year. The programme will also reduce energy consumption by more than 40% by 2016, compared to the current levels.
The programme comprises two specific strands:
1. Introducing a central management system (CMS) for street lighting on the TLRN. This will allow TfL to remotely monitor and manage street lighting and dynamically control levels of lighting depending on use. By adjusting the lighting levels to be aligned better with traffic flows and road usage at different times of night TfL will significantly reduce its energy consumption and carbon emissions, without compromising road user safety or security. The system will remotely record lighting failures, enabling maintenance crews to ensure that lighting levels are restored without delay.
2. Replacing conventional lighting with light emitting diodes (LED). This will initially see 35,000 street lights updated through both targeted investment and TfL’s regular streetlight maintenance by 2016. The new LED technology will be rolled out across the majority of TfL street lights during the next 10 years.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “With tens of thousands of lights marking the way on our road network it makes complete sense to focus energy and resources on bringing them up to 21st century standards. This is the largest investment to modernise street lighting on major roads in our capital’s history and will not only cut carbon emissions and save money but it will also lead to better and safer roads for Londoners.”
Dana Skelley, director of asset management at TfL, added: “The performance and cost effectiveness of energy efficient lighting has improved considerably over the last few years. Our aim is to provide assets fit for the future and this programme to upgrade lighting on the capital’s busiest roads is a simple, yet hugely effective way to not only reduce carbon emissions but to also reduce costs whilst providing better lighting of our road network.”
