Oxford SU and Brookes Union respond to Council 'Dark Skies' Proposal

Oxford SU and Brookes Union respond to Council 'Dark Skies' Proposal

Oxford Students’ Union and Brookes Union are deeply concerned about current media reports that Oxfordshire County Council is planning to reduce street lighting across the county. It is reported that the Council is looking to reduce or switch off areas of street lighting between the hours of 11pm and 6:30am. 

We know that many students are already concerned about travelling around areas of the city late at night, and this action is likely to increase those concerns. We also recognise that many students live in typically residential areas which are likely to be impacted more. Many of our students also travel to placements at the hospitals, in schools and in the community, and so are travelling either late at night or early in the morning. 

Students have campaigned for over a decade for increased lighting in South Park, citing safety issues - students already don’t feel safe in this city. This decision will have a further detrimental and dangerous impact on the night-time economy across the city if students are even more concerned about travelling late at night. 

The equality impact assessment cites that this decision is deemed to have ‘no impact’ on people with protected characteristics, with no detail given as to how they arrived at this conclusion. Despite all of this, the original proposal doesn’t include any plans for consultation with students. 

We welcome the Council’s recent announcement that they are deferring the decision until further work has been undertaken. We would welcome consultation from the Council, and will be jointly reaching out to understand more about these proposals. 

If you are concerned about these proposals you can:

• Find out who your local councillor is and write to them

• Attend the cabinet meeting: the deadline to register to speak, either online or in person at County Hall, has been extended until 12.30pm 14th November 2024. To register, email committeesdemocraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

- Oxford Students’ Union Officer Team

- Brookes Union Officer Team

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The Oxford SU Environmental Affairs Campaign commented: 

The Environmental Affairs Campaign, being concerned with the escalating impacts of climate change and damage to fragile ecosystems, notes the importance of reducing unnecessary light pollution as mentioned in the report, which has harmful impacts on pollinators and other local wildlife. However, we are also very concerned that introducing this Street Lighting Illumination Proposal without proper consultation of the safety needs and concerns of the student body could lead to considerable anxiety at the prospect of street lights being unlit during hours of the night, and that the safety of citizens is of the highest priority. The Campaign recommends the County Council considers measures such as the use of motion sensors or other tools that incorporate safety concerns while limiting unnecessary lighting where possible. Furthermore, we request more clarity on the potential impact of this proposal on different areas of Oxford to gauge what the impact would be on areas that students rely on at night. We encourage the Council to consider these concerns while recognising the importance of environmental and wildlife concerns mentioned.

The Oxford SU Disabled students campaign commented:

1. There is a general consideration for student safety, as a lot of people walk home at night myself included and it’s generally a tip to walk in streets that are well lit: this project would stop that and has been proven to impact safety in other locations which have followed this protocol (cf Hampshire). It limits the routes people can take through Oxford when walking at night if they want to remain to well-lit areas, and is especially restrictive now that it’s winter and many people will be leaving work/evening classes when it’s already dark outside. 
2. From an access POV, lights and having well lit areas helps a lot for people with disabilities being able to manage their balance and also helps with vision impairment in some cases. Many visually impaired people rely on good lighting and high contrast street markings to identify edges to curbs and crossings. Dimming street lights may mean this is not possible, potentially making it unsafe or very difficult for visually impaired students to walk independently in Oxford at night, which could be a potential violation of the equality act. A student on committee has shared that they themselves have a very minor vision problem but it’s exasperated by the dark. 
3. From another access POV, road users, including drivers, cyclists and motorists, are required by law in the highway code to recognise vulnerable road users such as people with mobility issues, wheelchair users and service dog/cane users. In Oxford, many disabled students report being unnoticed by road users when crossing roads and put into vulnerable positions. Therefore, if street lighting was reduced, this problem would be much more likely to get worse, including potential road accidents involving vulnerable disabled pedestrians. As a wheelchair user myself, I have witnessed the dangers which cars and cycles pose in daylight, and due to poor paving having to often drive in the road. This in further darkness is even more dangerous. 

The Oxford SU Class Act campaign has also expressed concerns over the proposal, stating that "it is concerning for the safety of female* students and the lack of consideration for them when proposing this plan."