Lampposts around the new Southern Ring Road in Groningen were given the wrong color lamp, which can have major consequences for bats. If the light is too bright, bats can fly into the road, with all the consequences that entails.
The wrong lamps were placed in several places along the Ring. And that needs to be resolved. That is why the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has imposed a penalty of 100,000 euros on Rijkswaterstaat.
The bat is an endangered species because there are not many of them left. The animal has an important function in nature. They eat a lot of insects such as mosquitoes, moths and spiders.
Flight routes
Something went wrong with the lampposts at Concourslaan and Van Iddekingeweg, but a complete picture is not yet available, says Kirsten Smit spokesperson for Aanpak Ring Zuid. What is clear: the lighting is either too bright or incorrectly adjusted. And that immediately causes problems for the flight paths of bats. Because, says Liesbeth Cavé (member of the Groningen Bat Working Group), “Bats cannot live without good flight routes.”
Too bright lighting scares the animals. If this lighting is in a tunnel that is part of the flight path, the bat can choose not to go through it. Then he may lose his way and not return home. Or a bat decides to fly over the tunnel where the highway is located. “Then the bat might be hit by a truck while crossing the road,” says Cavé.
It is not clear how the lampposts have not been adjusted. It seems that the adjustments have simply been forgotten, but Smit sees it differently: “There was not enough sharp action, it is a shame.”
Tough job to solve
According to Kirsten Smit, the lighting is difficult to adjust. If one of the lamps is changed or adjusted, the entire row of lampposts will be off and it will be pitch dark. “Like with a broken bulb in the Christmas lights.” Then the other lights immediately stop working. “Other traffic cycling past or people working on the road cannot see anything.”
Even though adjusting the lamps requires extra work, the project will not experience any delays, according to Smit. “It’s just difficult to choose exactly a moment to adjust the lights.”
Rijkswaterstaat and Aanpak Ring Zuid have until February 1, 2024 to adjust the lighting. Then RVO comes along again.
How did this research come about?
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RvO) discovered during a field investigation that the lighting of the flight paths of the bats around the new South Ring Road is inadequate. This research was carried out in the context of the Nature Conservation Act.
For spatial interventions (i.e. construction, expansion and design) of a main road of national importance, as is the case in this case, applications must be submitted to the RVO. RVO then issues the permit or increase. Later, RVO will check whether all requirements of the permit or levy have been met.