Dear Sir,
I would like to add to the debate with respect to the current debate over street lighting for the A167. Last year I spent 7 months working in West Berkshire, and the comparison between the A4 which traverses that county and the A167 are a fair one to make.
Both former prime routes through similar sized counties, now bypassed through a parallel motorway. Along the route, towns with industrial areas, similar in size to Newton Aycliffe in the form of Newbury and Thatcham; with a similar ribbon development of villages between them.
The street lights along large sections of the A4 are switched off between midnight and early morning.  Surely it would not be difficult for Durham councillors to ascertain evidence from their West Berkshire counterparts how successful that scheme has been? They can then make a decision on the basis of some evidence
For my part, I would welcome the scheme to save money by switching off the lights when not needed. It would be a small inconvenience to those few (any) who walk along the footpaths between the towns at the dead of night and also be of little consequence to the small number of drivers at that time.
I suspect that the objections to switching off lights are as a result of human nature.  Few of us like having things taken away from us, even though we may have no proof as to whether they are beneficial.
I recall similar comments about safety and the new form of low energy street lighting in Newton Aycliffe when that was introduced.  I live in one of the first streets to benefit from it.  The horrible orange glow of the old lamps has gone and the street looks a far more attractive place at night whilst contributing less to light polution. It is no less safe than previous.
Rob Kirton, Woodham Gate