Streets and Traffic - Frequently Asked Questions

What are those little arms that stick out from the motorway bridges over the lanes; are they speed cameras?
No. They are part of the Trafficmaster automated traffic flow metering system, a commercial product, and not a Government system. They measure the speed of vehicles in each lane and feed the information back to a central computer. This collates the information and retransmits it to the boxes which, in turn, relay national road situations to vehicles passing by with Trafficmaster boxes in them.

What are those blue posts by the roadside with what look like two floodlights and a radio aerial on them?
They are part of the Trafficmaster system. They read part of your registration number, and send it to a central computer system. When the system "sees" you pass another Trafficmaster point, it can calculate the average traffic speed between those points and advise drivers about congestion via the various Trafficmaster products.

What are those barcodes on posts by the side of the road for?
The Highway Authorities use them. A special vehicle is driven over the road, measuring the wear of the surface. It uses the barcodes in order to know exactly where it is.

How do I report a smoky lorry?
The Government's Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was formed on 1 April 2003 by merging the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) and the Traffic Area Network (TAN) division of the Department for Transport. You can do your bit for the environment by reporting vehicles that are extremely smoky and VOSA will contact the vehicle operator on your behalf. They need to know:

• vehicle registration number;
• type of vehicle (be as specific as possible);
• date, time and place where you saw the vehicle; and, if possible,
• name of the vehicle's operator (the company or owner).

To report a smoky vehicle, call their hotline 0870 60 60 440 or see the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency website, where you can complete an online form (search for 'smoky' on their homepage). You will not normally be informed of any action taken, but if you see the vehicle regularly you will be able to see if the problem has been fixed. You can report persistent offenders again, which means that further action will be taken. If no action has been taken then it may simply be that the smoke emissions do not actually break the rules.

How can I report an abandoned vehicle?
The responsibility for dealing with abandoned vehicles is the responsibility of Cheshire East Council. In the first instance, the vehicle is inspected by staff and a 7-day notice is put on it. If the owner does not come forward during this period then the vehicle is removed. The Waste Management Service, which is responsible for the storage and safe disposal of such vehicles will then be informed. Reasonable attempts are then made to find the owner. If traced, the owner can either collect the vehicle and pay a statutory charge, or surrender the vehicle for disposal.

Why is street lighting provided?
Studies have shown the benefits of good street lighting as an aid to road safety and as a crime prevention measure. There is also growing evidence of the benefit of lighting in improving the amenity and commercial viability of an area.

What are the road safety benefits?
It has long been recognised that good public lighting can improve road safety. In most industrialised countries night time accidents account for about half of all accidents, even though traffic flows are much lower at night. In addition night time accidents tend to be more severe. In today’s crowded driving conditions, the driving task at night is very complex and it is essential that drivers have good visual recognition of the hazards ahead. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is strong evidence that good street lighting can cut night time accidents by up to 30%, giving tangible benefits to society which are much greater than the cost of the lighting itself.

How can good lighting help to reduce crime and the fear of crime?
Research has shown that certain groups of people suffer a disproportionate amount of crime, in particular, households which have been victimised, women and young people out after dark and the elderly, especially those subject to vandalism and disorderly behaviour. A common factor linking crimes committed against these groups is that they commonly occur after dark, so it comes as no surprise that research by criminologists carried out into lighting and crime has shown that targeted public lighting improvements can make the biggest impact on crime reduction.

The ways in which street lighting improvements can reduce crime are far from simple. Lighting improves visibility and increases opportunities for social surveillance by encouraging more street use by residents. It also improves community confidence and civic pride and signals to residents that the Local Authority and its partners are investing in the area. These factors combine to work to decrease crime by deterring offenders and the effects spill over to reducing crime during the day as well as after dark.

Over the past decade, approximately 16 lighting and crime evaluations have been carried out in major towns and cities in England, Wales and Scotland. Recent evaluations have shown that better lighting can reduce overall crime by 40%. There was also evidence of diffusion of benefits, with the benefits of lighting in one area leading to crime reductions in immediately adjacent areas.

How can I report a faulty street light?
Faults involving street lights are usually caused by the failure of the lamp or other electrical component. In a minority of cases the fault may be due to the failure of the electricity supply, vandalism or accident damage. When reporting a faulty street light, please have the following information to hand:

• name of the street in which the light is situated
• city, town or parish name
• location of the light e.g. house number nearest to the light
• the street light number - a black number usually located at a height of 3 metres on the column shaft
• a description of the fault e.g. lamp out, dim, timing, on during day, etc.

Complete the online highway fault reporting form.

Cheshire East Council carries out its own night inspections at a frequency of, once every four weeks in summer and once every two weeks in winter, so we may already be aware of the fault. Whilst the majority of lights are the responsibility of Cheshire East Council, some are the responsibility of Parish Councils. If this is the case, we will usually be able to pass the report on for you.

How quickly can the fault be fixed?
Faults are passed to our contractor the following working day and are normally investigated within 5 working days of them receiving the information. The vast majority of repairs are carried out at the first visit, but those involving electricity supply failure, damage to the column itself or failure of specialised equipment may take longer to repair. In emergency situations, the contractor will attend site within 2 hours of the report to make the equipment safe. Further repairs will be carried out as soon as practicable. For situations where there is a greater risk of danger, but not an emergency (e.g. lights on pedestrian crossings, busy road junctions or flights of steps), then attendance on site will be arranged within 24 hours.

Can faults be given priority?
Generally speaking, the timescales for repair stated above are adhered to. The contractor concentrates repairs in certain areas each day, thereby covering the whole county in a week. Driving into other areas to attend one or two faults results in less repairs being carried out overall and so is avoided. If, however, the risk to the public is deemed high enough when the fault is reported (e.g. a faulty light outside an elderly resident's home), every endeavour will be made to carry out repairs as quickly as possible.

It is now several days since the fault was reported and it's still not fixed, why might this be and what can I do?
Normally the contractor should investigate the fault within 5 working days. If, however, particular difficulties have arisen such as damage to the electricity supply cable, the actual repair may take longer. If you contact us on 0845 002 0666, we will check the progress of the repair and inform you as to the why the light is not yet working.

Why are so many lights faulty for so long?
Occasionally, an electricity supply failure (such as a damaged cable) can affect a large number of lights. In order to effect repairs, the electricity companies may need to temporarily switch off the supply to properties in the area. In such situations, seven days notice has to be given to domestic customers and 14 days to commercial customers, thus delaying the work.

The light has been visited, but has not yet been repaired, why?
The most likely cause of the light not being repaired on the first visit is the failure of the electricity supply. Such repairs can only be carried out by the electricity company. Cheshire East Council reports such faults promptly to the electricity company, requesting a speedy repair.

What are the operational hours of a street light?
There are no specified hours for street lighting. The standard method of controlling the operational hours is by photo-electric cell, which switches the lamp on automatically at dusk and off at dawn. Burning hours equate to some 4,100 hours per year. In the 24 hour society in which we now live, is it considered essential to operate street lights throughout the night. This enhances security for people and property, reduces night time traffic accidents and assists emergency services.

Can I have new or improved lighting?
Cheshire East Council does not have a duty to provide street lighting, but does so in the interests of safety. Developers for example, are now required to provide lighting on all new developments which are to be adopted and thereafter maintained at public expense. At the present time there is no available funding for new or improved lighting on existing highways, unless linked to a traffic safety scheme. The criterion for carrying out such safety schemes involving lighting is based on traffic accident statistics. If the road has a good accident record, it will not normally qualify.

If you consider lighting in your area should be provided or improved for safety reasons, you can make a request in writing. Your request should be made directly to Cheshire East Council, but, depending where you live, you may also wish to send a copy to the local Parish Council, with whom we consult. They will then inform us of any requests they wish to support. It should be noted that Parish Councils also have powers to install street lights. However Cheshire East Council has to approve any lights installed on the Highway.

Can I have a light re-sited?
The re-siting of lighting columns, whilst not impossible, is often difficult. The spacing between adjacent lights is crucial for achieving the correct lighting levels on the road. Moving one light could result in the over-lighting and under-lighting of adjacent road surfaces, thereby compromising safety. Each request is individually investigated and where necessary, consulted on, with no guarantee of a favourable outcome. It should be noted that the cost of moving a street light will normally fall on the person requesting the work.

A light is shining into my house, what can I do?
Street lighting is installed for the benefit of society and is designed to light the surrounds to a road, as well as the road itself, so that road users can see potential hazards. It is not possible to eliminate light intrusion fully, as to do so would render the street light non-functional. If a street light is causing problems due to excessive intrusion of light, we will investigate and try to find an acceptable solution to the problem. It may be that a simple change of lantern to a more modern type may relieve the problem. Each request is investigated on an individual basis. If it is possible to move a light and there is no advantage to road users then the individual would be expected to pay the cost of moving the light.

We have lived on this new development for some time now, why are the street lights not yet working?
Developers normally have an agreement with Cheshire East Council to construct new roads to a standard suitable for future adoption. Street lights are normally erected and commissioned in stages, as the estate is built. In some cases, houses may become occupied before the street lights are connected. The responsibility for the lights at this stage rests with the developer. Prior to adoption of the new highway, the lights will be comprehensively inspected and if found to be satisfactory, ownership and responsibility will be transferred to Cheshire East Council. Where no agreement is entered into with Cheshire East Council, future ownership and responsibility will remain with the developer and/or the residents.

Why are the lighting columns in my area being replaced?
Lighting columns can be replaced for a number of reasons, for example, changes to the geometry of the road or accident damage. Cheshire East Council also carries out an annual structural replacement programme, to replace columns which are considered to be at the end of their useful lives.

Why are the new street lights in different positions to the old ones?
The spacing of the old columns generally does not meet the requirements of the current British Standard. This usually results in more lighting columns being installed, reducing the spacing between them.

Is there a policy about where lighting columns are located?
There are many factors which have to be taken into account when determining where lighting columns should be situated. Lighting schemes are designed to the current European/British Standards which takes into account physical features such as road widths and bends. The class of road and volume of night time traffic has a direct bearing on the design, as does the location of the electricity cables, from which we take the power. Once a scheme has been designed and installed, there is only limited scope for altering the spacing between lighting columns. Cheshire East Council aims to position columns sensitively, but sometimes the geometry of roads makes this difficult. If you feel that the position of a new street light will cause you problems, we will investigate, but we cannot guarantee to find a solution. Once the column spacing's have been set, we normally site them at the back of footways or in verges. This minimises obstruction of the footway and damage to columns caused by vehicles.

Why is there a delay between putting up new street lights and taking out the old ones?
We normally rely on the electricity companies to connect the new columns to the electricity supply and disconnect the old ones. The timescales involved mean that it may take some time to get the new lights working and the old ones taken away.

Why is there an excavated hole adjacent to a new street lighting column?
The electricity company have excavated the hole and it is awaiting either their jointing team or their reinstatement team. The hole will be reinstated to existing ground level.

How do I get more information about street lighting works?
Please visit our Street Lighting pages.

What authority does Cheshire East Council have to issue tree pruning notices?
Cheshire East Council, as Highway Authority, has a duty under the Highways Act 1980 to ensure that foliage does not overhang the highway, so as to endanger or obstruct the passage of vehicles or pedestrians, or obstruct or interfere with the view of drivers of vehicles or the light from a public lamp. See the Highways Maintenance section on overhanging vegetation for more general advice.

Who is responsible for pruning private trees?
The owner/occupier of the property in which the tree, hedge or shrub is situated is responsible for ensuring that the foliage is properly maintained. Cheshire East Council cannot fund the pruning of private trees from around established street lights. In the case of newly installed street lights, Cheshire East Council will fund the initial pruning of any tree found to be obstructing the column. Thereafter, it will be the responsibility of the owner/occupier of the property to maintain the necessary clearances. See the Highways Maintenance section on overhanging vegetation for more general advice.

Rather than prune the foliage, why can’t the street light be moved?
This might be possible as an alternative, but Cheshire East Council would have to make an assessment. If it were possible, the owner/occupier of the property would still be responsible for the costs involved.

The tree has been overgrowing the highway for a considerable time. Why must it be pruned now?
Cheshire East Council manages all adopted highways in Cheshire and there are literally tens of thousands of trees along their length. Dealing with overgrown trees is an ongoing program and a long term goal.

What about an instance where the tree was planted prior to the street light being erected?
Street lights are provided to make our highways safe for users and so Cheshire East Council has the authority to place street lights anywhere on the highway. Once a street light has been erected, Cheshire East Council has a duty to maintain lighting levels and so must enforce the pruning of foliage that interferes with the light, regardless of the size and age of the tree. As previously stated, Cheshire East Council will fund the initial pruning of any tree found to be obstructing a newly installed column.

Can you visit me to point out what I need to do and the likely cost?
The Highways Service does not have anyone qualified to give such advice. If, during the course of a regular highway inspection, overhanging vegetation is identified, then a letter is sent from the Area Highways Team informing the landowner of their statutory duty to remove it. This letter gives details of what clearances are required and your own tree specialist will be able to advise you of costs and the best way to prune your tree.

Can I pay you to cut the tree for me?
Cheshire East Council does not directly employ a tree contractor but our term maintenance contractor may be able to recommend one or organise the work for you. It is strongly recommended that you obtain at least three quotations for the work to ensure the best price.

My tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order, does this mean I cannot prune it?
If a danger is being caused then pruning must take place regardless of whether the tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order or is within a Building Conservation Area. You are, however, advised to contact the Tree Officer at Cheshire East Council and advise them that you intend to carry out work. While this would not preclude you from carrying out the work, your local planning department may wish to place restrictions on any pruning other than that which is necessary to ensure safety.

The tree is sited on the boundary of my property and the highway, who is the owner?
Cheshire East Council does not plant trees on boundaries but always sites them clearly on highway property, for instance, in verges. Trees sited on boundaries will have been planted by householders and are private trees, belonging to the owner/occupier of the property.

The tree is sited on the boundary of my property and my neighbour’s property, who is the owner?
If the tree is planted exactly on the boundary, it will usually belong to the property owner responsible for that particular boundary. It is recommended that you check your deeds and speak to your neighbour.

Have you a guide to the clearances you require?
As a guide, clearance across the width of the footway should be one metre back behind the column, or to the boundary of your property whichever is the shorter. Where the column is located in a grass service strip, the boundary of your property should be taken as two metres back from the road. Foliage should also be cleared to a one-metre radius around and above the lantern. Along the length of the highway, foliage should be cleared to allow light to fall unhindered to the ground at least ten metres away.

How many street lights are there?
The Institution of Lighting Engineers in its leaflet “Protecting a Vital Asset, 2000” determined that there were approximately 6.2 million lighting columns in public ownership in the UK. Of this number some 72,000 are in Cheshire.

What is the cost of operating a street light?
Street lighting lamps vary in both size and power consumption (typically between 35 and 250 watts) depending on whether they are lighting a residential area, main road or town centre. The average cost of operating a street light, inclusive of energy costs and maintenance is between £30 and £50 per year - less than £1 per week!

How much energy does a street light use?
Energy consumption of a street light depends on the wattage of the lamp and the location of the light, which determines the number of hours of operation each night. Typically, street lights on main roads contain a 150 watt lamp, while those on residential roads contain a 50 watt lamp. In simple terms, the electricity consumed by an ‘average’ street light will cost £16 per year, or just 4.5 pence per night.

How are street lights supplied with electricity?
Lighting columns are normally supplied from the same underground electricity networks which feed your home, these being owned by the electricity companies. Where electricity companies have no networks, for example in rural areas, Cheshire East Council provides its own cables, which accounts for some 15% of the cables feeding lighting columns.

Why is the light from some street lights yellow/orange?
Lamps used for street lighting purposes are gas discharge lamps, which are much more efficient than the light bulbs you use in your house. The elements contained within the lamps give colour to the light emitted and the Lighting Engineer has a large choice of lamps from which to select. The low pressure sodium lamp is the most energy efficient, but has the drawback that its strong yellow/orange colour makes it difficult to tell the true colours of cars and other objects. High pressure sodium lamps emit a pale, honey coloured light, which gives better colour rendering of the street scene. More recent technological developments have produced discharge lamps which emit white light and as the efficiency and life expectancy of these lamps improves, they are likely to become the future choice for street lighting.

Is there any legislation governing the provision of street lighting?
A Local Authority does not have a duty to provide street lighting. However, once provided, the Local Authority does have a duty to maintain the system in a safe condition. The standards for street lighting are laid down in British Standard: BS.5489. This will however soon be replaced by European Standard BS EN 13201.