The new lighting system will adjust its brightness accordingly - meaning the busier the roads around Hill Dickinson Stadium, the brighter they will be lit
A new street lighting system has been installed in the roads around Hill Dickinson Stadium. The network features lights that adjust their brightness according to how busy the traffic is, some automatically and some controlled by Liverpool council. Image: Colin Lane
A new street lighting system has been installed in the roads around Hill Dickinson Stadium. The network features lights that adjust their brightness according to how busy the traffic is, some automatically and some controlled by Liverpool council. Image: Colin Lane
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Everton supporters will be safer on the busiest roads around Hill Dickinson Stadium next season after the installation of state-of-the-art ‘smart lights’.
Just over 50,000 fans use the roads around the new stadium on a matchday, many on foot towards surrounding car parks, travel hubs and the city centre.
The quality of the street lighting on some of the busiest streets has been an issue, particularly for evening and night matches. Work to address that has now taken place with the installation of a new lighting system that reacts to how busy the roads are.
The Traffic Adaptive Lighting (TAL) network has seen 152 new street lights put in place along Derby Road and Great Howard Street. The lights respond to how busy the traffic is, so when traffic is at its peak they shine at their brightest - and when they are at their quietest they dim.
The system should enhance the safety of those walking between the ground and the city centre, while saving money and reducing energy use when demand drops. More than 250 other street lights in the surrounding roads have been replaced with special LED luminaires that can be controlled by Liverpool council - meaning the authority can also increase their brightness when the matchday crowds need them most.
The network has been put in place by lighting specialist Signify, working with the council and McCann limited - the authority’s street lighting maintenance contractor. It comes with lighting having been an issue raised by supporters across the first season since Everton’s move to the Liverpool waterfront and is particularly important given the number of evening and night games scheduled each season.
Assessing the scheme, councillor Dan Barrington, the council’s transport lead, said: “Since the Hill Dickinson Stadium opened, we’ve listened closely to fans who want a safe, well-lit route back towards the city centre and key transport links. The new adaptive lighting along the busiest roads around the stadium means pavements are brightly lit when people need it most, helping everyone feel safer as they move through the area.
“Because the system responds in real time, we can also spot and fix faults quickly, keeping the route reliably lit on matchdays and beyond. And by adjusting the lighting to actual traffic levels, we’re cutting unnecessary energy use and delivering real savings for the city.”
Simon Wilkinson, of Signify, added: “Our collaboration with Liverpool city council delivers immediate benefits through energy savings and improved visibility, while also serving as a blueprint for a safer, smarter, and more sustainable cities across the UK."