These areas will be plunged into darkness to save energy, while others prioritize security over savings.
An energy crisis is looming, and this has prompted many Danish municipalities to put street lighting and the discussion of whether it should be switched off during nighttime hours on the agenda in many municipalities.
Several municipalities in the capital region are currently switching off lights during nighttime hours to save electricity, according to a survey conducted by TV 2 Lorry. The municipalities of Frederiksberg, Gladsaxe, Brøndby, Glostrup, Halsnæs and Albertslund indicated that they are already studying the idea.
In principle, lights may only be turned off on less congested roads and in residential areas, and in order to avoid traffic congestion, lighting will not be turned off on main roads.
Albertslund municipality stated that street lighting is part of several initiatives within an energy-saving plan developed by the municipality's Department of Environment and Engineering, the implementation of which requires a political decision.
The municipalities of Glostrup and Frederiksberg have stated that street lighting is included in the proposed budget for next year. In Frederiksberg, for example, it has been calculated that reducing the total operating time by one hour per day will result in annual savings of 300,000 Danish kroner, while separating municipal lighting for tree lighting will save 200,000 Danish kroner annually.
The municipality of Solrød has been implementing an energy-saving mechanism by switching off the night lights since 2004.
The municipality at that time experimented with turning off streetlights at night during the summer period, and then the plan was implemented throughout the year, from Monday to Friday, between 01:30 and 04:30, according to the municipality.
Municipalities do not intend to turn off streetlights in the interest of security and safety.
Three municipalities stated that they do not intend to turn off the lights, fearing that darkness would create more insecurity. For example, the municipality of Roskilde assessed public safety and traffic safety on the one hand, and energy savings on the other, and concluded that safety was paramount. Several municipalities also stressed that reducing street lighting should not have consequences for safety. The municipality of Gladsaxe stated that the elderly in particular feel safer when there are lights on the streets, and that dim light can have consequences for traffic safety.
The municipalities of Fredensborg, Roskilde and Egedal have stated that they have no plans to turn off streetlights at night.
Meanwhile, the municipality of Dragør stated that it has not yet decided whether it will do so.
The major European countries are shrouded in darkness at night.
In Europe, major countries have already begun turning off streetlights as a result of the energy crisis, and those countries are Germany, Austria, Italy, France and Spain.
In Spain, all shops are required to turn off their lights at night during the winter to save electricity. The German capital, Berlin, has decided to turn off all the floodlights that illuminate many of the city's buildings and historical landmarks, while the Roschach region in Austria has decided to turn off half of the street lighting between 11 pm and 5 am.
