Three week wait for Edinburgh Council to fix dark or broken street lights

New figures show the average wait time for repairs has gone down.

It takes Edinburgh City Council an average of 21 days to fix a broken street light.

Edinburgh residents suffering from broken street lights have to wait an average of 21 days to have them fixed, new figures have revealed.

The figures represent a significant improvement for repair times by Edinburgh City Council, who were struggling to reduce the wait for working street lights three years ago.

In 2017, the wait was on average 46 days, dropping to 39 days in 2018 and 25 days in 2019.

One of the new Philips Energy saving street lamps which are being fitted across the city, Here we see him working on a street light on Slateford Road

Since the end of last year the average repair time has continued to drop, but residents are still having to wait an average of three weeks for a dark or otherwise faulty street light to be fixed.

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, councillor Kevin Lang, said the average figures omitted the worst case examples which are causing residents the most problems.

He added that a three week wait was not low enough to be considered a success.

Cllr Lang said: “It says a lot about the performance of the Council that a three week wait to get something as simple as a street light fixed is considered a success.

“The reality is that these average figures are masking many extreme cases.

“I have a street light in Silverknowes in my ward which was first reported as broken in January.

“We are now three months on and it’s still not working. I’ve also had cases of lights being logged and reported as fixed when they are still broken.

“It is clear that much more work is needed to improve the reporting and repair system.”

Councillor Lang’s Conservative counterpart, Cllr Nick Cook added that the delays for repairs are unacceptable and jeopardising safety for the public.

He said: “Street lights are essential for public safety. They prevent accidents and can deter criminals.

“While repair times are reducing, 21 days is still an unacceptable wait for all those relying on safe walking and cycling routes in their community.”

The council is undergoing a major refit of most of the Capital’s street lights, replacing older lights with new LED lights, controlled remotely.

The lights are being installed as a more environmentally friendly, more efficient and cheaper alternative to the types of street lights used previously.

However, the lights have not been without their problems with more than 200 complaints about the new lights.

A total of 43 of those complaints were linked to potential interference with home alarm systems, causing the alarms to be set off accidentally.

The roll-out of the new LED lights has also been halted due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We’ve clearly significantly reduced the time taken to repair street lights, which will no doubt benefit residents and businesses in the city. However, I’m sure the public will understand that due to current circumstances we must focus resources on emergency repairs at the moment.

“These figures are extremely encouraging though, and in part result from our major ongoing project to replace street lights across the city with new, energy efficient lanterns. Not only will these new LED lights help reduce energy costs, but their state-of-the-art design helps us better monitor and respond to faults.”

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