Narrabri’s main street is darker now than it was 100 years ago, according to Narrabri resident Bob Wales.
“All we need is a few hitching rails for the horses and we might as well be in 1914,” he reckons.
He’s not talking about shops and traffic but street lighting.
Bob has lived in Narrabri for 77 years and feels he has never been more in the dark than he is now.
“I emerged from Coles supermarket last night and could hardly see my hand in front of my face” he claimed.
“There are no lights on that end of the town.
“There are only four lights from the Commercial Hotel the length of the business area through to the Namoi Hotel.
“The only ones going were a couple on the corners.
“There were more street lights 100 years ago, as is evidenced in Guy Hunt’s history book ‘When Narrabri Was Young,” Bob said.
“I used to patrol the main street lights when I worked for the County Council 20 years ago.
“We had big lights on the footpath back in engineer Max Johnson’s day.
“They were 100 percent better than the non lights we have now.
“I have asked at the council for a copy of the plans for the new street lights but I can’t get them” Bob said.
“There is a lot of community concern about this.
“Someone is going to get injured in the street. It is so dark.
“It’s like a permanent blackout.
“I know the new street lights are on the way but they are a long time coming.”
Meanwhile, the CBD lighting was again raised at Tuesday night’s Narrabri Chamber of Commerce meeting, with members voicing their concerns about the time the project has taken to reach finality.
However, last meeting of Narrabri Shire Council confirmed that the process is underway, but must progress through a number of steps which involve Essential Energy signing off on design, tenders from suppliers and other elements of the project.
The design adopted by the council will see twin lights along the centre of the three main business blocks, each pole carrying two cantilevered lights, one over each side of the carriageway. Shrubs will be planted along the median strip but there will be plenty of room for turning vehicles, a report to council confirmed.