After announcing plans to reduce energy use in public infrastructure, Wallonia has now started to turn off motorway lighting in the region with the E40 motorway in Waremme being the first to be left in the dark on Monday evening.
Partly in a bid to persuade citizens to reduce their own consumption, the Walloon Government has decided to dim the lights on their motorways overnight, which is forecast to save €400,000.
The energy-saving measure was announced by the Region's Energy, Mobility, and Infrastructure Minister Philippe Henry, who emphasised that road safety has not been compromised: "we have turned off part of the lighting during the period when fewest vehicles are passing."
As a result, 20,000 of the region's 25,000 spotlights will be turned off between 22:00 and 05:00 for a three-month period.
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This saw lighting on the central berms of the E40 highway at the Oleye bridge in Waremme turned off on Monday night.
On Tuesday the dark zone will be extended to motorways passing through Liège, Verviers, and as far as Bastogne. The central lamps on motorways in Hainaut will be switched off on Wednesday.
However, at-risk areas where motorists often cross each other will be kept illuminated.
