Wallonia to switch motorway lights back on at night

Motorways in Wallonia are to be fully lit up again at night - after the region's government scrapped a previous energy-saving plan.

The majority of the Walloon motorway network has had no lighting between 0.30 and 5.30, except in a few accident-prone areas.

Now, RTBF reports that night lighting will come back. Instead, to save money in the long run, 63,000 lights will be gradually replaced with energy-saving LEDs.

A spokeswoman for regional motorway operator Sofico said the new LED lighting required less maintenance, provided better light, lasted longer and consumed 60% less energy.

The brightness of the lights can be easily adjusted, depending on weather conditions or whether there has been an accident.

Sofico has entered into a partnership with private operators to replace the entire network's lighting. The job is due to begin in June and is expected to take four years.

In 2017, the brightness of Belgium's motorway lights made global news headlines when a French astronaut published a photograph from the International Space Station, showing how much brighter Belgium was than the rest of Europe.