From now on in Chambéry, walkers and night workers will no longer be able to count on the lighting of street lamps between midnight and 5 am to accompany their steps. The Savoyard capital made, Saturday, October 15, a “great leap into the void”, in the words of the deputy mayor of the city in charge of ecological transition, Jimmy Bâabâa (various left). And this extinction of the lights turns out not to be obvious for this city of 59,000 inhabitants.
The economic argument obviously came into play for the municipality, which, like all communities, is looking for new budgetary leeway. “I had pushed the project a little a year and a half ago at the municipal council”, explains Mr. Bâabâa. But “It’s easier today than three months ago to get this measure accepted by the population”, he admits. He noted in particular that the drought this summer and the calls for sobriety, especially from the government, had an effect on the inhabitants and that more and more of his fellow citizens asked to act in this direction.
The savings made would be 200,000 euros per year, according to the municipality, with electricity at a constant rate, while the power of the streetlights had already been reduced by 30% over the past ten years, and by 50% between 10 p.m. and 6 hours since the beginning of the year.
The other argument in favor of this measure concerns the fight against light pollution and the protection of biodiversity. “Chambery is a bright spot in the middle of two mountain ranges, adds Mr. Bâabâa. We have that duty, given our position. And we need more territories to get involved for there to be a real impact. »
The municipality has nevertheless decided to maintain night lighting in the Carré Curial, the district of the city where bars and nightclubs are gathered and where the police must regularly intervene. “It’s important to give investigators the opportunity to do their job”, justifies Mr. Bâabâa. Discussions have thus been held on this subject with the prefecture and the Chambéry public prosecutor’s office, who have requested this exception. Video surveillance will remain effective continuously throughout the city thanks to an infrared system.
“Attentive” to the comments of the inhabitants
“We want to move forward collectively and with serenity, especially with people who are less convinced by the initiative and more hesitant”adds Jimmy Bâabâa, whose “first fear” in the face of this measure concerns, “more than aggression”accidents that cyclists or pedestrians could have due to a fall against a sidewalk, for example.
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