Public lighting in Calais will be restored from midnight to five in the morning throughout the municipality. A decision made possible thanks to the savings made with the renovation of the lighting network.
After two years in the dark, the streets of Calais will once again be lit up. Following a public consultation held on Wednesday 11 September and a complete overhaul of the lighting system, the city of Calais has decided to turn the street lighting back on at night, from midnight to five in the morning, throughout the entire town.
A relief for many Calais residents. “When you come home and it’s dark in the streets, when there’s no lighting, it’s true that we don’t feel reassured,” explains one resident.
“It’s dangerous, because you don’t know who might happen or what,” adds another.
“As a delivery man, it’s better to have lighting, especially for safety, for pedestrians,” explains another.
An 83% drop in energy costs
The decision to turn off public lighting was taken in 2022, in the midst of soaring energy prices, to make savings.
But for the past eight months and until 2026, the city has been renovating its lighting network and replacing its lights with LEDs. “There have been a few requests from Calais residents, depending on certain streets, who had this feeling of insecurity,” explains Natacha Bouchart, mayor of Calais. She continues: “Now, as we can see a drop in our energy costs, we can afford to reopen all public lighting at night.”
With this new project, the city should see an 83% drop in energy costs, or 6.5 million euros in savings. Calais nights will be lit up again, starting October 27.
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