Turn those bloody lights OFF
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Only Western Power is benefiting from hundreds of street lights that have been switched on long before they are needed. The environment and rate payers are bearing the cost of what appears to be a legal scam.
The street lights are switched on for an average of twelve hours per day in hundreds of new sub-divisions from Broome to Albany. Most of these new developments are in the Perth metropoitan area. They shine on empty blocks of land which will frequently have neither building or residents for twelve months or more.
One short street in Jarrahdale consisting of mostly vacant blocks has just had ten such lights switched on. There is no building activity going on in the street and the first home is unlikely to be completed before the end of 2008.
It is believed that the 275 watt lights are costing ratepayers in the vicinity of $1,000 each per year to operate. The resulting multi thousand dollar bills are paid by local councils from ratepayers funds directly to Western Power.
In addition the unwanted lights are potentially generating thousands of tonnes of unnecessary green house gasses. This clearly flies in the face of the State Government's policy of reducing green house gas emissions by using domestic low energy light bulbs. The saving from installing these lights may well be cancelled out by the unwanted street lights.
Jarrah Bark was unable to determine who authorises new street lights to be turned on with representatives from local councils, developers and Western Power all pointing the finger at each other. The only point of agreement was that the home and land owners will pay the costs and they do not have any say at all, except of course at the ballot box.
It therefore seems quite certain that an urgent discussion is needed between the Hon. Alannah MacTiernan, Minister for Planning, the Hon. Francis M. Logan, Minister for Energy and the Hon. David Templeman, Minister for Environment with a view to TURNING THE BLOODY LIGHTS OFF until they are needed.
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