Fears as lights go out on M6 Hanchurch stretch

“These lights were installed in about 1974 to reduce the large nunber of accidents on the long "slow" climb to Keele - especially for lorries which had joined the M6 at Hanchurch. The accident rate dropped immediately. Since then, vehicles have become more powerful so maybe rear-end shunts etc. are a thing of the past......... Let us await the H.A's accident figures for after the lights have gone out!”

“by hasod
"I bet most that do the moaning on here have been running around for weeks with failed bulbs ." unquote:

I can see you've got some red arrows for that remark. And it's not difficult to guess where those red arrows are coming from. -from THE ONE-EYED MONSTER BRIGADE, that's where. Lethal.

PS Without the lights on the Motorway stretches -that 'hard-shoulder' becomes even more dodgy if you break down. OK, you can leave the car -hazard lights flashing and go up onto the embankment -but that doesn't do anything for the poor motorist -and yes I know it's their fault, who runs into the back of it. IT HAPPENS.... and more often on the stretches of motorway which are unlit.
You'll never make our roads, motorway or other, completely free from accidents -but where we can afford to -we should strive to.”

“My car has it's own lights and I know how to turn them on”

“Why doesn't the Highways Agency come clean and stop treating the public as idiots. Everybody knows that it's nowt to do with cutting carbon emissions and light pollution but all to do about saving money. It'll be interesting to know the savings made by the blackout compared to the increased costs of dealing with extra accidents.”

“The Highways Agency is permanently switching off the lights to reduce carbon emissions and light pollution.????????????????????? Yeah, right, to cut down on pollution,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,definitely it's me.”

“Carbon footprint? what a load of nonsense !

This is clearly a money-saving proposal, so let's have some honesty at least.”

“Isn't most of the motorway network unlit anyway?

I've driven on this stretch of the M6 many times at night, and I always find it odd that this section is illuminated and the areas north and south of it are unlit for miles.

As all vehicles are required by law to have working headlights, tail lights and reflectors, and there are reflective road studs on the road, which are colour coded, I cannot see how switching the motorway lighting off would make any difference to the safety of the road.”

“Safety first always. Carbon footprint ? What about the carbon footprint of the entire Olympic games, the torch charade, opening and closing ceremonies, the stadiums, the freebies, how much carbon did that lot waste ?”

“Hahahahahahahah......light pollution hohohohohohohohho.....reduce carbon emissions.......hehehehehehehe. Just how gullible do they think we are. They are simply putting lives at risk to save a few quid on the 'leccy so that they can fill up the trough that is known as the pension fund. Being plunged into the dark ages is damned right.”

“Personally think this is a great idea. If people crash because they can see the car in front of them, they simply shouldn't be driving.

I Seville, Spain they turn every street light in the city off between 2am and 4am and my dad was telling me they save millions a year”