News / Lights to be turned back on, bus payments by credit card and less money for free bus passes
SHETLAND Islands Council is about to amend its street lighting policy, which will bring new light to darkened areas and at less cost.
Since all of Shetland’s 4,000 street lights are in the process of being upgraded with new LED lights, the council is in line to save around 60 per cent in energy costs.
The environment of transport committee on Monday agreed that a further saving could be made when dimming the LED lights between midnight and 6am.
Roads manager Dave Coupe said a 25 per cent reduction in light intensity was “virtually indistinguishable” but would add a further 25 per cent reduction in energy savings.
The committee agreed that this measure should also be introduced where the streetlights are currently being switched off between midnight and 6am.
The committee further approved a proposal by southend councillor George Smith that in the areas where streetlights have physically been removed, residents should be asked if they want them back.
Passengers on Shetland bus network will soon be able to pay their fare with a Debit or Credit Card.
Monday’s environment and transport committee heard from transport manager Michael Craigie that the new hardware would be installed on all buses in two to three weeks time.
Asked by committee chairman Ryan Thomson if and when this would be rolled out to the inter island ferries, Craigie said that a business case was being made to the Scottish Government to attract funding for the investment.
The amount of money the council is getting reimbursed from the Scottish Government from people enjoying free bus and travel will reduce from 57 per cent to 52 per cent of the full fare.
The figure came to light when councillors at Monday’s environment and transport committee discussed the impact the growing number of people benefitting from concessionary fares is having on the council’s ability to balance its bus budget.
Councillor George Smith said the way concessionary fares are paid for appeared to be “poorly understood”.
“It is understood as free travel funded by the Scottish Government,” he said, “where in fact it is the local authority that foots some of the bill.”
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