Concern voiced over Connaught Street public lighting levels

Concerns are growing locally about the strength and effectiveness of the recently installed energy-efficient LED lights on Connaught Street in Athlone.

The lights, which are designed to reduce light spill and improve energy efficiency, were put in place in mid-November of last year, under the Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project.

Yet, Connaught Street residents and businesses remain unhappy about the level of darkness on the footpaths and on the street between lamp-poles.

The Connaught Street & Environs Community Group has engaged in dialogue on the issue with Westmeath County Council, but feels the issue remains very much unresolved.

To this end, the community group has requested the council consider arranging a site assessment or lux level survey on the street to ensure that the lighting meets the appropriate standards for pedestrian safety in a residential setting. The group says it has yet to hear back from the cpuncil on this request.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Tim Dowling, vice-chairperson of the Community Group, said: "You only have to take a walk-up Connaught Street to see the level of darkness on the footpaths and between poles appears to be significantly greater than before the upgrade. Connaught Street is a narrow residential heritage street with a lot of pedestrian use, so the current lighting feels quite inadequate for the area."

The Community Group has also expressed concern about the safety of the local community, saying that at present the street is so dimly lit at night that it almost feels like there's a power outage in the area. They are growing increasingly concerned for residents walking on the footpaths, especially older or more vulnerable people.

"We are not saying the street is unsafe but people deserve their basic safety requirements to be met with good lighting," Tim said.

In correspondence with the community group, a spokesperson for Westmeath County Council said the LED lighting provides a more focussed dispersion of light and is intended to light areas where pedestrians and vehicles are in close proximity, like on footpaths. The spokesperson said the older lighting resulted in more of an overspill of lighting, often lighting private gardens and resulting in light pollution. In the correspondence, the council further added that an adjustment period is needed when the new lighting is initially installed.

Since that correspondence from the council, the group further contacted the council requesting a full technical review of the LED lights. The group say it has not received a response.

On a bigger scale, the Community Group feel that the lighting situation is "another backward step" for one of Athlone's most historic areas.

"There is no denying that the economic weight of Athlone has shifted very much to the other side of town. Yet, Connaught Street remains vibrant and has plenty of brilliant long-term businesses in operation. There is so much potential in Connaught Street and I believe the people of Athlone, whether from the area or not, have strong affection for Connaught Street.

"We are not at odds with the council or anything like that and are always open and willing to communicate to find ways of improving issues relating to the street. But at this moment in time we feel the council's reaction to our requests have been below par," said Tim.