why Toulouse keeps it at night when other cities in the metropolis have cut it
This is a question that is coming back to the fore, due to international current events: how to reduce energy consumption? Communities are working on it. More and more of them in the Toulouse metropolis are opting for a cut in public lighting at night.
From this Monday, the municipality of Saint-Alban will test the cut of public lighting. It joins the many municipalities that are already experimenting with it, in more or less time slots, in more or less extended geographical areas. Target axes are generally exempt of these cuts, for obvious reasons (since vehicles or pedestrians circulate there).
Generally conclusive experiments
In Colomiers and Tournefeuille, these cuts have been in place since 2015. In the second municipality, the time slot concerned has just been extended by half an hour (from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.).
Aigrefeuille has also put in place the interruption of public lighting between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. In Aucamville, this interruption takes place from 1h to 5h.
Blagnac will expand the sector covered by these cuts, after a rather conclusive experiment since October 2021 in three sectors of the town. Beyond the environmental aspect that motivates municipalities to get started, these cuts also allow big savings. Nearly 90,000 euros according to the latest estimates for Blagnac; about -30% on consumption in Tournefeuille.
Toulouse prefers other solutions
In Toulouse, on the other hand, there is no question for the moment of cutting off public lighting at night, even in the districts a little less mentioned in the evening, on the outskirts. Why do we refuse it? “Because there is a feeling of insecurity which is strong“, answers the deputy in charge of public lighting, Jean-Baptiste de Scoreille.
Instead, the municipality relies on LED lighting -60% of the Toulouse park is equipped – which could already divide electricity consumption by two, according to the deputy in charge of the file. By the end of the mandate, the municipal team aims to achieve 100% of the park in LED.
Added to this is a small number of lampposts fitted with a movement detector, which makes it possible to intensify the lighting when someone approaches, and to reduce it to reach 10% brightness when no one is nearby. These smart lights are located in the Saouzelong/Saint-Agne sector. They are currently installed on 1,800 devices. The municipality aims to move to 20,000 lampposts equipped out of the 7,000 that comprise the Toulouse park in total.
The lighting of the windows in question
What shocks Toulouse residents the most is the lighting of shop windows at night. The state plans to ban it via a decree, but in the meantime, many businesses are still illuminated in the middle of the night. The Town Hall of Toulouse ensures that discussions are underway on this subject, to reduce the lighting to a minimum, without visible result for the moment.