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I Miss the Streetlights

Things you took for granted ... until they are gone.
tachyondecay

One of the things I miss the most are streetlights. Having always lived in an urban environment, they seemed like constant fixtures that would always be around. I never gave them much thought as a kid. Nowadays, younger children look up at the curious structures and react with scepticism to our explanation of their function. They watch movies that show burgeoning cityscapes at night and gasp at the pinpoints of light, each one representing a window, a car, a person for whom consuming electricity is second nature.

Now saving electricity is second nature. Lights on only when necessary. Candles are a hot commodity. And streetlights were one of the first things the city cut when it looked at its power bill.

Without streetlights, the city is a strange place at night. It's not as safe, firstly. Increased crime aside, it's difficult just to see without streetlights. Reflective jackets are all the rage in light of the increase in pedestrian auto-related deaths. This lack of safety leads to a second concern: an unofficial curfew. When electricity was cheap (well, cheaper), the electric streetlight was a sign that what transpired at night was in the open. That is no longer the case. If you're out after dark, you're in the dark; you are alone.

I wonder how this is affecting those communities farther north, where the days get shorter faster....

I got a notification from my super tonight. My rent's increased because of my electricity usage. They're bumping me up to the highest price they can charge for my current electricity plan and cutting back on my premium. I'm going to seriously have to reduce my usage. Either that or consider an alternate living arrangement—maybe one of my friends wants a roommate?

Speaking of which, time to log off and go to bed. Best to do my writing during daylight hours, when I can turn down the brightness on my LCD screen and save some amps.

Oct 07
power failure,electricity,off the grid,cutting costs


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  • DarkOptimism
    Oct 08
    Whereabouts are you living? There are many cities around the world that still have functioning streetlights - all depends on the decisions your community and Government made a decade ago.
  • Morganism
    Oct 08
    You are lucky to still have grid power. Here in rural Arizona, we have NO power from that generated from your own home. When we blew the bridges on the Interstates to keep the Walkers out of north-central Arizona, we lost all support from the cities and State. Guess they thought if we didn\\\'t want the Walkers, we didn\\\'t want the services either. Now, we don\\\'t keep lights on at night at all, except in black-out rooms. Just draws in predators...of all species
  • TMLutas
    Oct 09
    No individual metering options? I\\\'d suggest going to that instead of creating friction with your landlord. The meters are generally not that expensive.
  • 2019Beverly
    Oct 09
    I don\\\'t miss the street lights. Easier to move around at night if needed with no lights to dodge.
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