Liberal Democrat councillors are calling for safer, well-lit redways and underpasses to improve everyday journeys for residents who walk, cycle or travel across the city after dark.
Some redways and underpasses across the city have been left without working streetlights for weeks or even months.
For residents, it can mean walking home in near-total darkness, cycling through poorly lit junctions, or avoiding certain routes altogether because they don’t feel safe, especially in the winter months.
Many streetlight repairs depend on National Grid, which can lead to delays outside the City Council’s direct control.
The Council use a repair matrix ranging from 1 to 5, which helps to focus on the most urgent jobs to keep the network safe. High speed grid roads and their roundabouts are treated as the highest priority, followed by other roads such as estate, industrial, and rural areas, with redways, underpasses, and the city centre ranked lower.
“While streetlight repairs on grid roads are prioritised because of the risks involved, we’re increasingly concerned about people travelling to and from work, elderly residents getting to the shops or medical appointments and children and young people walking or cycling home from school or college," said Councillor Jenni Ferrans, who will be moving the motion later this month, "No one should feel unsafe in their own city, so safety needs to come first. But we also need better communication so residents know what’s happening, why lights are out, and when problems will be fixed.”
Councillor Kerrie Bradburn, Chair of the Environment and Place Scrutiny Committee, added: “Milton Keynes has a very large redway network, which is unique to our city and something we take pride in. But this also brings challenges when it comes to keeping routes well-lit all year round, especially when budgets are tight.
"We believe the current process should be reviewed with resident and community safety in mind.”
