Imagine you’re driving around 6-7pm. You turn on Flossmoor Rd and boom its pitch black. This happened to me. I couldn’t see anything and as a new driver when I saw pure darkness that my heart sank. It’s not until you’re in a situation and you realize how much you need them. They enhance your vision at night for both drivers and pedestrians, increase public safety and can help drivers with navigation.
According to Brandon Industries, a company that manufactures and supplies streetscape components, such as decorative street lights. “Poorly lit streets often create a sense of fear or isolation among the community. Well-lit neighborhoods create a sense of belonging and safety.”
A fellow Homewood citizen, Mikkal Harris, stated, “I think there could be more [street] lights. Our neighborhoods aren’t as well-lit as busy roads like 183rd [Street]. One time, it was so dark I almost hit somebody.”
Some areas in the Homewood-Flossmoor area with no street lights or poor lighting include Heather Hill, Scott Crescent, Lawrence Crescent, Hood Avenue, Evergreen Road and Flossmoor Road.
The National Library of Medicine stated, “Financial and carbon reduction incentives have prompted many local authorities to reduce street lighting at night. Debate on the public health implications has centred on road accidents, fear of crime and putative health gains from reduced exposure to artificial light.”
H-F driver’s education teacher Ausra Brooks said, “The whole residential area is dark, and I think there needs to be more lights. It’s too dark, especially for our newer drivers. I have to let them know how it is at night and how it could be unsafe. I think we also need more yield signs.”.
There are many reasons why there aren’t as many street lights as there should be, including cost, light pollution, safety concerns and aesthetic considerations.
From the H-F Chronicle street light repairs are from November 2017. Homewood alone spent approximately $10,828 with ComEd, giving a grant of $25,182.
Also from H-F Chronicle it said, “The Flossmoor Police Department is a recipient of the 2025 Powering Safe Communities Grant Program through ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. The grant will finance five additional intersections flashing pedestrian beacons in the village.”
According to the Village of Homewood Draft Budget for 2024-2025, the initial general fund is $408,906 and highlights street light maintenance, showing a $20,000 increase compared to previous years.
With that amount of money in the budget, street light maintenance should be more common, considering how many Homewood-Flossmoor residents agree that there needs to be more lights.
Approximately 50% of traffic fatalities happen in the dark this large percentage is mainly due to low reduced visibility. Therefore, the deployment of streetlights would substantially enhance the safety and communal appeal of residential areas, especially at night.
