Orchard Park street lights lit up no matter the time
Few things fire up people who believe in the judicious use of electricity more than street lights that never shut off.
Nights are a lot longer than days at this time of year, leaving those of us who are sensitive to the reduced sunlight feeling bummed out and weary of the relentless overcast gloom.
It means the overhead lights that illuminate the city are on a lot more than they’re off, and consuming significantly more power than in June, when the sun doesn’t set until 9 p.m.
So it’s no surprise that when street lights are blazing merrily all day, some people start to wonder why they don’t shut down when the sun comes up, and see it as wasteful.
Kevin McCurley sent us a note with good news about a transit “ghost shelter” at Queen St. and Kingston Rd. that was removed because nobody ever waited for a bus in it.
We’ll be reporting later this week on our efforts to get the city to move ghost shelters to TTC stops where they’ll better serve the needs of riders.
But McCurley also asked if “perhaps you could find out why the street lights are on in Orchard Park all day,” adding that he first noticed they were on a couple weeks ago.
We counted nine lights in the park, on the south side of Dundas St. E., just west of Kingston Rd., along the paths and around the playground equipment and ice rink, all of which were on at 4 p.m.
The lights are connected by underground wiring and switched on and off by a sensor that detects natural light. Status: Peter White, the local parks supervisor, emailed to say a crew checked it out Monday and found the sensor was malfunctioning. It has since been replaced and the lights are working as they should, White said. Update: On Jan. 18 we reported on an enormous pile of illegally dumped garbage on Torbarrie Rd., near a development site for new housing. A city spokesperson emailed to say the garbage was cleaned up a few days after our column, adding that “City staff have been monitoring the site and are working with the property owner to explore options to prevent/ discourage further illegal dumping in this area.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.