Rossland Street Lights, by the numbers
By Sara Golling
Rossland City Council held a Committee of the Whole meeting, 3:00 pm, September 24, 2018
Present: Mayor Kathy Moore, and Councillors John Greene, Marten Kruysse, Andrew Zwicker and Aaron Cosbey. Absent: Lloyd McLellan and Andy Morel
Bright lights, or dark skies? There are advocates for both. Rossland Council has tried to strike a balance with its policy on street lights, providing enough illumination for safety, but not putting more street lights out there than we need. Some council members weigh in on the side of more lighting, arguing that pedestrians need enough street lighting everywhere to be able to see bears, icy patches, and inappropriate piles of dog poop. Others would prefer to see far less City-funded lighting (except in the downtown core) – arguing that cars’ headlamps light the way well enough for vehicles, and that people walking or biking at night can and should use headlamps or hand-held flashlights to see where they’re going, as well as to make themselves more visible to drivers. And bears.
Council went over a list of numbered street lights to recommend to the next regular Council meeting whether they should remain in place, be removed, or be bagged for a month for residents’ further input.
Of the lights discussed, those that were recommended to remain include:
#32, #33, #50, #54, #159, #189, #190, #191, #220, #221, #229, and #292. Several need to be adjusted to avoid irritating nearly residents.
Of the lights discussed, those that were recommended to be removed include:
#18, #27, #46, #56, #127, #230, #254, and #255.
Of the lights discussed, those recommended to be bagged for further citizen input include:
# 47, #154, #256, and #284.
