Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – By summer 2027, Antwerp will relight all streets using energy-saving LED lamps. Alderman Ken Casier (N-VA) and CD&V support the move after safety concerns from dark streets.
As VRT News reported, by the summer of 2027, all streets in Antwerp will be lit again at night. Many people asked the city to turn the streetlights back on. The opposition party CD&V spoke about it many times. They wanted all streets to be lit at night again. The city has now said it will turn the lights back on in every neighbourhood.
According to officials, this will happen because most of the lamps will be changed to LED lights. LED lights use less power than the old ones. They mentioned that people will feel safer when the streets are no longer dark. By the summer of 2027, every street in Antwerp will have lights on during the night again.
“Thanks to LED lamps, we can control our street lighting more economically and much more flexibly.”
Ken Casier (N-VA), Alderman for Public Domain
What prompted Antwerp to bring back full street lighting?
Pieter De Cock from the CD&V party spoke out against the old plan to turn off streetlights at night in many parts of Antwerp. He said it was not a good decision, especially in places where people live. Some neighbourhoods were left in total darkness for years.
He said this made people feel unsafe. It was also hard for people walking or riding bikes because the paths were hard to see in the dark. CD&V believes that street lighting is an important service that helps keep people safe. The party is happy that the city has now decided to turn the lights back on in all areas.
“Thanks to these innovative techniques, we can control our street lighting more economically and much more flexibly in the future. Focusing on smart city lighting: that is the essence,”
Emphasizes responsible alderman Ken Casier (N-VA).
According to officials, Antwerp will put LED lights on all streets as part of a new lighting plan. The city can make them brighter when there are more people or cars on the road. At night or during quiet times, the lights can be dimmed to save energy but still give enough light.
They mentioned that the goal is to have all streetlights changed to LED by the year 2030. After that, every street in Antwerp will have these new lights. This plan will make the roads safer and help the city with its energy and climate goals.
A few years ago, Antwerp decided to turn off lights in half of the city’s streets at night. This happened after electricity became much more expensive because of the war in Ukraine. The city wanted to save money by using less energy. While this helped cut costs, many people did not feel safe walking or biking in the dark.
Residents said they were worried about poor visibility and crime. The dark streets caused concern, especially in neighbourhoods where people live. Many felt the city was not doing enough to keep them safe at night.
