Overnight street light campaign 'still going strong' (From Borehamwood Times)

I can't help but laugh at Mr Graham and Mrs Alford. Can't they just accept the fact that the lights have been turned off at night by now??
The only point they seem to be still making is the 'crime will rise' but this has been proved wrong, as the Times recently printed an article saying crime in general was down in Borehamwood.

Plus there's the fact that most burglars operate in the daytime and not at night, plus the fact that most thieves and burglars are will rob you regardless of a lack of lighting in a street!

As for the 'I'm a nightbird and HCC dont care about my lifestyle' guff, guess what Mrs Alford, your right, HCC probably don't care about some whingy old woman with too much time on their hands.

Get over it.

Oh, and Daniel Graham mentions that his 'nice community' feels like a curfew is being placed on it...

How many of them go out after midnight, and of those who do, how many are not in their cars??

Total guff from the 'I want it my way' brigade again.

Mr Taxpayer:
1) You are not the only taxpayer.
2) I kindly suggest you respect other peoples views.
3) Abstain from making personal remarks about other people's lifestyles that aren't any of your business and for which you have no idea of context or personal circumstances. That you comment that a 46 year old woman is a whingy old woman, leads me to think you are young.
4) That you may like to think of, and consider the needs of others, as well as yourself. I don't think that milkmen/women, carers, early shift workers - nurses etc, people who are out and about at night for work or social reasons will share your views. I also suggest you speak to 500 random members of the public and ask what their views are on this matter and i think you'll find they support this campaign.

I also suggest " mr Taxpayer" reads this article ....

http://www.borehamwo
odtimes.co.uk/news/l
ocalnews/9927655._Th
is_could_be_a_scary_
sign_of_things_to_co
me_/

Which highlights the fact that antisocial behaviour is increasing at a rapid rate in Borehamwood. Im sure " mr taxpayer" will be the first to complain when/if he becomes a victim of the increasing antisocial beaviour and will want to know where the money from the tax he is very clearly paying is going.

Its also very clear "mr taxpayer" has no children or at the least has very young children. Because belive me, knowing your 17 year old daugther is walking him after midnight in the pitch black is very VERY unsettling - something that also scares her... and just in case you didnt read that correctly mr taxpayer... SHES 17... Not some old whingy woman.. 17.... so the young ones feel very unsafe too.

And its not just people that go outside that feel unsafe. I have an eldery neighbour who no longer feels she can sleep with a bedroom window open as she feels to unsafe, she also panics when she hears noises outside only to look out of her window to be met with darkness. So are you telliing me thats right? That people are scared even INSIDE their own home. Shes 75 and lives alone... yes you might call her old, yes you might call her whingy.. be shes scared. If your 75 year old grandmother told you she was scared at home at night would you say she was talking total guff or would you see things differently?

Also, dont belive the figures of " crime in borehamwood is down"... very clever figures they are. Why dont they tell us about the crime rates in roads where the lights have been turned off? Not just the area as a whole.

Mr taxpayer, your entitled to disagree with a cause and politely air your views, but theres ways to do it - calling people old and whingy and describing their views as total guff isnt the way.

Mr Taxpayer, manners cost nothing and will enhance your ability to communicate effectively. To refer to Sue Alford in the way you did simply indicates you have no respect for anyone but yourself, and even that must be called into question with your aggressive tone.

However, back to the street light campaign, I know from personal experience that not all crimes are reported, by which I refer to recent car crime in my road. I reported the vandalism caused to my car overnight, but other neighbours who had been affected by the same vandalism seemed reluctant to report it knowing the police cannot do anything about it.

I would implore that anyone affected by crime, even if they believe nothing can be done about it, to report it to the police so hopefully the crime figures will be more accurately reported.

I fully back this campaign and will continue to do so. I wish to feel safe in and out of my home.

Unfortunately, Mr Taxpayer I can only assume you are young, and being male may make things slightly less frightening for you than say, a young woman who has been out for the night with her friends. Like Cinderella, she MUST be home by 12AM. Maybe you don't mind walking home in the pitch but most do, especially females. So yes, it is a curfew. Same goes for nurses who work shifts and all those already mentioned.

I personally feel more anxious when I cant see anything but black when I look out of the window and I feel more vulnerable.

Our government is becoming fascist and is so far removed from ordinary people and the only way back for them, is to start listening...not to those who don't mind, but to those who do. They need to come down from their Ivory towers to ground level.

I am also a 'night owl' I am an 'old woman' aged 45 and it doesn't stop me going out! I take my torch, I find the lack of street light quite comforting actually! Maybe it reminds me of my childhood growing up in the countryside......bes
ides most criminals are cowards who probably don't like sculking around in the dark as evidenced by the majority of crime taking place during the day.....

mememe1977 wrote:
I also suggest " mr Taxpayer" reads this article ....

http://www.borehamwo

odtimes.co.uk/news/l

ocalnews/9927655._Th

is_could_be_a_scary_

sign_of_things_to_co

me_/

Which highlights the fact that antisocial behaviour is increasing at a rapid rate in Borehamwood. Im sure " mr taxpayer" will be the first to complain when/if he becomes a victim of the increasing antisocial beaviour and will want to know where the money from the tax he is very clearly paying is going.

Its also very clear "mr taxpayer" has no children or at the least has very young children. Because belive me, knowing your 17 year old daugther is walking him after midnight in the pitch black is very VERY unsettling - something that also scares her... and just in case you didnt read that correctly mr taxpayer... SHES 17... Not some old whingy woman.. 17.... so the young ones feel very unsafe too.

And its not just people that go outside that feel unsafe. I have an eldery neighbour who no longer feels she can sleep with a bedroom window open as she feels to unsafe, she also panics when she hears noises outside only to look out of her window to be met with darkness. So are you telliing me thats right? That people are scared even INSIDE their own home. Shes 75 and lives alone... yes you might call her old, yes you might call her whingy.. be shes scared. If your 75 year old grandmother told you she was scared at home at night would you say she was talking total guff or would you see things differently?

Also, dont belive the figures of " crime in borehamwood is down"... very clever figures they are. Why dont they tell us about the crime rates in roads where the lights have been turned off? Not just the area as a whole.

Mr taxpayer, your entitled to disagree with a cause and politely air your views, but theres ways to do it - calling people old and whingy and describing their views as total guff isnt the way.

Your 17 year old daughter is out on her own past midnight??

What a responsible parent you are!

Suzy-Sue wrote:
Mr Taxpayer:
1) You are not the only taxpayer.
2) I kindly suggest you respect other peoples views.
3) Abstain from making personal remarks about other people's lifestyles that aren't any of your business and for which you have no idea of context or personal circumstances. That you comment that a 46 year old woman is a whingy old woman, leads me to think you are young.
4) That you may like to think of, and consider the needs of others, as well as yourself. I don't think that milkmen/women, carers, early shift workers - nurses etc, people who are out and about at night for work or social reasons will share your views. I also suggest you speak to 500 random members of the public and ask what their views are on this matter and i think you'll find they support this campaign.

In response to your opinions..

1) I never said I was the only taxpayer, however I am in the majority of people who think saving money past midnight is a no brainer.
2) I do respect your different views, I just find the reasons absurd.
3) I never made any 'personal' comments about your lifestyle other than you have too much time on your hands if this is the most important issue in your life. Also, yes I am younger than 45 but not much younger. (I can't actually see what age has to do with my opinion unless you are trying to disrespect me or imply my opinion is worth less than someone older than 45?) As for the whingy old woman, I will retract that statement as I didn't mean to offend. - How does 'whingy middle aged woman sound?!!)
4) You mention night workers/nurses/milkm
en (and women?!) etc.. I would love to know of ANY of these people who are now scared to go out past midnight compared to before the lights went off, and secondly and more importantly, how many of them actually WALK in the dark as opposed to driving in safety?
5) As for the speaking to 500 people, unfortunately my job keeps me busy during the daytime, leaving me only a few hours in the evening to do what I like.. This does not include questioning strangers in the street about something which I cannot do anything about in the first place!

Why aren't pedestrian crossings switched off aswell?

Who on earth states anti social behaviour being on the rise as a result of the street lights being turned off at night .
Please stop stealing oxygen from the rest of society as you go against everything that Darwin told us.
Youths will not loiter where there is no light and burglars will not be on the streets equipped wit night vision goggles or torches as if the police stop them they could be done for being equipped for crime

Mr Taxpayer ought to be hopping mad about the misuse of public funds but not for the reasons he suggests, ie saving a few pence on electricity.
In fact a very large sum of taxpayers money has been spent in installing these lights in the first place. The justification was that they are "safety lighting" ie to protect the community.
1. If the lights are not in use then these very large sums have been wasted, surely a misuse of public funds
2. As the lighting was justified as safety lighting then removal of this lighting is therefore deliberately and knowingly putting citizens (taxpayers) and the community at risk. Could this be the basis of a legal challenge?

MikeJJJ wrote:
Mr Taxpayer ought to be hopping mad about the misuse of public funds but not for the reasons he suggests, ie saving a few pence on electricity.
In fact a very large sum of taxpayers money has been spent in installing these lights in the first place. The justification was that they are "safety lighting" ie to protect the community.
1. If the lights are not in use then these very large sums have been wasted, surely a misuse of public funds
2. As the lighting was justified as safety lighting then removal of this lighting is therefore deliberately and knowingly putting citizens (taxpayers) and the community at risk. Could this be the basis of a legal challenge?

As far as I know, street lighting in the Hertfordshire area is not a new thing.. When were these 'new' lights installed that you talk of??? Street lighting is not a new thing, and I have certainly not noticed old lights being replaced with new ones over the last few years like you reckon??
It's news to me. As far as a legal challenge, luckily we live in a democratic country where the majority rule, and by the sound of it, the majority of people aren't that bothered by the lights going off at midnight as otherwise there would be more than 5000 people complaining about it surely???