New control system installed to identify and fix streetlight faults in Milton Keynes lot faster

A new city-wide control system is to be installed to all 58,000 streetlights acrossMilton Keynesto help pinpoint faults more quickly.

The system will also allow the city council to plan streetlight repairs and maintenance more effectively.

Each streetlight will be fitted with a node that sends and receives information through an ultra-narrow band (UNB) low energy radio signal, including letting the council’s highways team know when a light has gone out. The nodes do not capture traffic or personal data.

Installation will start this summer and should be complete by spring next year.

The system, calledCMSor Central Management System, can also allow lighting levels to be turned up or down from one central control centre which, for instance, means the city council could increase the lighting level where there has been a road traffic collision or decrease it in an area where there is little or no traffic during the night.

The latest tech upgrade comes as the city council is replacing old streetlights with lower LED versions, that last longer, need less maintenance, and will save millions of kilowatt hours of energy each year – as much as might be used in 1,700 homes.

Councillor Lauren Townsend, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: “We’re always looking at how we can use new technology to make improvements and this new system will be game changer for us in how we plan and carry out streetlight repairs. “This is yet another way we’re investing in modern technology to reduce costs and energy use and helps towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030.”