It’s gonna be pitch dark… SHUT UP!!!

RRRrrrr!!! October 1st, 11 p.m. I clock out of work and the street is dead dark. No streetlights. The city flips into “winter mode” and leaves me with nothing but the moon to guide me. I walk home like I do every day—picked up the habit while losing weight. Two lousy kilometers, way too stupid to drive. But now it hits me: I can’t see shit. Safety? Yeah, not great, especially with headlights blasting in my face.

Cutting the lights gets sold as the eco/economic solution, but let’s be real: it’s just the lazy way out. No brain cells required.

There are smarter options than pulling the plug on everyone.

Motion-sensor lights: They stay off when no one’s around, turn on when you pass. Invisible when useless, reassuring when needed.

Night dimming: Don’t kill the lights, just lower them. You cut consumption by half or more, without dumping pedestrians into darkness.

Solar streetlamps: No electricity bill, just upkeep.

Citizen input: Ask the people instead of deciding for them (though, honestly, I don’t hold my breath for that one :-) ).

Ecology or just plain laziness?

Sure, we need to think green. Sure, energy is pricey. But ditching safety just to save a buck? That’s not smart, that’s lazy. They talk about a smart transition, but what we get is anything but smart.

The cherry on top? Shopkeepers who don’t give a damn about ecology, leaving their neon lights blazing all night long. They’re my headlights in the dark.

A city at night is not just an electric bill. It’s a public space. People working late are worth just as much as anyone else, and they deserve safety too.

So what now? Do I hop back in the car for two miserable kilometers just so I don’t crack my skull on the pavement? Or worse?

Good thing I’ve got my hiking headlamp. But let’s be honest: when it comes to that, something’s seriously broken with our so-called leaders… The Nuls!!!