To: Derby City Council
Make Friar Gate Bridge floodlit at night time
Install low power, soft white LED lighting underneath Friar Gate Railway Viaduct which switches on at dusk and turns itself off in the morning. The scheme can and must be done without damaging the structure in anyway and tastefully respect the bridge's heritage. There lighting system should be installed before the end of 2016 but can also remain in place when the time comes to regenerate Friar Gate Goods yard and use the upper part of the bridge.
Why is this important?
Friar Gate bridge is currently very dark at night despite being on one of the main arteries into the city, this poses a safety risk to all who use this road at that time. Illuminating Friar Gate Bridge at night time will reduce crime, improve public safety for pedestrians and road traffic especially in winter months, it will also give better definition to a historic Derby landmark and give more prominence to a gateway into Derby, this will increase the amount of private sector investment. The capital cost of installing the system will be low as it can tap into existing nearby streetlights and the operational cost would be very low due to the low power consumption and virtually non-existent maintenance costs. The scheme would therefore by a low-cost but high gain project.
