Skip to main content

Cookie settings

We use cookies to ensure the basic functionalities of the website and to enhance your online experience. You can configure and accept the use of the cookies, and modify your consent options, at any time.

Essential

Preferences

Analytics and statistics

Show original text Warning: Content might be automatically translated and not be 100% accurate.
This proposal was not selected because:

You asked the same question on May 8, and we have already answered it. We are therefore providing you with the answer below:

Public lighting in Lausanne is governed by a lighting plan developed in 2012–2013 that focuses on the city’s nighttime coherence and energy efficiency (see Preliminary Report No. 2013/60). Light pollution reduction is already being addressed through the removal of high-intensity fixtures with a beam angle exceeding 180° (excluding historic fixtures) and the gradual phasing out of domed fixtures, which are being replaced with flat fixtures directed solely toward the ground.

For the next 10-year period (2024–2033), this plan will place greater emphasis on biodiversity protection and the preservation of unlit areas. The guiding principles will be presented to the City Council in early 2023.

Your request aligns with the proposals set forth in Ms. Schaller’s motion “Let’s Give the People of Lausanne the Stars ” (see preliminary report No. 2020/43) and by Ms. Sangra and others, “For nighttime public lighting without light pollution,” recently submitted to the City Council.

A city’s public spaces are lit at night for several reasons: to provide residents with a sense of security, to comply with traffic safety standards, to ensure pedestrian safety, but also to encourage nightlife by attracting people to social venues (bars, restaurants, clubs, movie theaters, concert halls, theaters, the opera, etc.) and to highlight the beauty of the city’s heritage and character at night. The SIL proposal will aim to strike a new balance among the various issues at stake by placing greater emphasis on preserving urban biodiversity.

Protecting Fireflies

Avatar: Loris Loris

Not selected

Context:

We are currently facing multiple ecological crises. Among the most significant is the mass extinction of biodiversity. In 30 years, 80% of insects have disappeared. Fireflies are also endangered. Among the reasons for these extinctions are deforestation, urbanization, pesticides, and light pollution.

--------------------

2. Proposal:

Turn off the streetlights on Route de Vidy. These streetlights are located next to a protected biodiversity area that is home to fireflies. (Although the ideal solution would be to eliminate all light pollution, this measure is a step in the right direction.) This will have the positive effect of reducing our energy consumption, allowing for better stargazing, and preserving the flora and fauna that have been greatly impacted by these artificial lights.

--------------------

3. Motivation:

Light pollution harms biodiversity, particularly fireflies, which are true wonders of the region. Neither plants nor animals can adapt properly to this ever-increasing urban lighting. We don’t realize the impact of a single streetlight.

This artificial light also hinders stargazing, which is already impacted by thousands of airplanes and satellites. But we want to be able to see the stars—and also prevent billionaires like Elon Musk from doing whatever they want up there, though that is surely beyond the city’s jurisdiction.

Turning off these lights also helps reduce energy consumption.

And some sociological studies have shown that crime rates drop when a city decides to turn off its streetlights.

Comment

Confirm

Please log in

The password is too short.

Share