Streetlight maintenance
The ACT Government owns and is responsible for the maintenance of more than 83,000 lights alongside roads, footpaths and in public parks and other open spaces.
The identification of a faulty streetlight is done via a number of means, including the use of smart technology and regular night time inspections. However, reports from the community also play an important role in helping us keep the network operating safely and efficiently.
Reporting streetlight faults
Any information you can provide about a fault or outage can help us fix the problem sooner. If you see a fault, report it to Fix My Street or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
The most common streetlight faults are issues such as faulty light globes, damage from birds or weather and condensation causing the streetlights to trip and require a reset. These types of faults are usually fixed in 5 business days. Longer term issues are usually from cable faults. These take longer to repair as the location of the fault/s needs to be identified and then necessary approvals obtained to undertake excavation work.
Cable faults can be complex and may require multiple repairs over time as issues emerge in different sections of underground infrastructure. Given the longer-term nature of their repair, below is a summary of outstanding cable faults including an update on their status. This is updated every Friday.
Belconnen
- Aranda: Belconnen Way/Haydon Drive intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Belconnen: Gungahlin Drive - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Charnwood: Deane Place/Bettington Circuit intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Cook: Redfern Street off Templeton Street - Completed.
- Flynn: Meikle John Place - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Giralang: Bindiri Place/Chuculba Crescent - Investigating fault.
- Higgins: Findlay Street /Cantor Crescent intersection - Investigating fault.
- Holt: Hardwick Crescent - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Weetangera: Abernethy Street/Darmody Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
*Work typically includes an underground excavation, installing cable, performing electrical connections and then testing prior to returning power.
Central
- Ainslie: Cowper Street/Tyson Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Ainslie: Foveaux Street/Paterson Street intersection - Investigating fault.
- Ainslie: Hoddle Gardens - Investigating fault.
- Barton: Gipps Street - Investigating fault.
- Campbell: Chauvel Street/Casey Street Intersection - Investigating fault.
- Campbell: Coral Place - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- City: Alinga Street/Northbourne Avenue intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- City: Tuggeranong Parkway - Investigating fault.
- Deakin: Stonehaven Crescent/Jervois Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Dickson: Lowrie Street near Moncrieff Street - Investigating fault.
- Fyshwick: Intersection Geelong Street and Canberra Avenue - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Griffith: Captain Cook Crescent near Stuart Street - Investigating fault.
- Griffith: Evans Crescent/Light Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Griffith: Jansz Crescent - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Lyneham: Northbourne Avenue/Mouat Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Narrabundah: Intersection Matina Street and Wambool Street - Completed.
- Narrabundah: Tallara Parkway/Lumeah Street intersection - Investigating fault.
- Reid: Euree Street between Currong Street and Booroondara Street - Investigating fault.
- Yarralumla: Oval and Mueller Street path - Investigating fault.
*Work typically includes an underground excavation, installing cable, performing electrical connections and then testing prior to returning power.
Gungahlin
- Ngunnawal: Bargang Crescent - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
*Work typically includes an underground excavation, installing cable, performing electrical connections and then testing prior to returning power.
Woden, Weston Creek and Molonglo
- Chifley: Charteris Street near Eggleston Crescent - Investigating fault.
- Chifley: MacFarland Crescent near laneway - Investigating fault.
- Cook: Redfern Street /Templeton Street - Investigating fault.
- Curtin: McCulloch Street opposite Morgan Street - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Duffy: Dixon Drive near Burrinjuck Crescent - Investigating fault.
- Farrer: Spafford Crescent/Marshall Street - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Garran: Yamba Drive/Kitchener Street intersection - Completed.
- Holder: Sheaffe Street off Weingarth Street - Completed.
- Hughes: Carrol Street and Coxen Street laneway - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Lyons: Hindmarsh Drive/Eggleston Crescent intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Phillip: Easty Street - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Phillip: Melrose Drive/Brewer Street intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Waramanga: Recreation area between S20 and 29 - Investigating fault.
*Work typically includes an underground excavation, installing cable, performing electrical connections and then testing prior to returning power.
Tuggeranong
- Chisholm: Baskerville Street/Heagney Crescent intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Chisholm: May Maxwell Crescent - Fault identified.
- Fadden: Sparkes Close - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Greenway: Soward Way off Athllon Drive - Fault identified.
- Kambah: Allchin Circuit between Lyall Crescent and Barritt Street - Fault identified.
- Kambah: Allchin Circuit - Fault identified.
- Kambah: Trussel Place/Ragless Circuit intersection - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Kambah: Trussle Place - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Kambah: Withnell Circuit - Completed.
- Hume: Sawmill Circuit - Fault identified.
- Hume: Sheppard Street near Johns Place - Fault identified.
- Isabella Plains: Kadina Crescent - Fault identified. Repair method being finalised.
- Macarthur: Bayly Place - Completed.
- Wanniassa: Sulwood Drive - Fault identified.
*Work typically includes an underground excavation, installing cable, performing electrical connections and then testing prior to returning power.
Like electrical devices in your home, streetlights can become a hazard when faulty so please do not touch them.
Over the last seven years, we've been upgrading Canberra's streetlights (including older compact fluorescent lamps) to energy-efficient LED technology and expanding the city's smart street lighting network.
LED streetlights are:
- more efficient, resulting in lower energy consumption and operating costs
- more directional, meaning less light is lost as light pollution and more light is directed where it is needed
- longer lasting, with a lifespan of up to 20 years compared with 4 to 8 years for traditional streetlights.
To date, approximately 55,000 of Canberra's 83,000 streetlights have been upgraded to LED technology. The remaining streetlights will continue to be upgraded through the ACT Government's ongoing renewal and replacement program as they reach the end of their operational life.
The ACT Government is expanding Canberra's smart street lighting network, with an additional 16,000 streetlights being equipped with smart technology. Once complete, more than 47,000 streetlights will be connected to the network, representing around 60 per cent of Canberra's streetlights.
Each upgraded LED streetlight is fitted with a smart controller that automatically monitors the light’s operation and reports performance information. This helps identify faults more quickly and supports Canberra’s expanding smart street lighting network, improving the efficiency and reliability of public lighting services.
Smart lighting technology enables remote monitoring and control of streetlights, helping us identify faults sooner, improve maintenance efficiency and better manage public lighting infrastructure. The expanded network will help support safer and more connected communities while reducing energy use.
Using this new technology, we have carried out several trials of adaptive lighting over recent years as we further explore this functionality. This includes automatic dimming and motion sensitive lighting.
Being able to control the brightness of streetlights helps us save even more energy and reduce lighting levels for the benefit of nocturnal species that need darkness, while also keeping our streets safe and visible for drivers and pedestrians.
Since 2021, adaptive lighting has been trialled and implemented in several locations across Canberra, including Throsby, Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve, Molonglo Valley and Athllon Drive. We have also explored lighting on paths in Bowen Park, Eastlake Parade and the Dickson shopping precinct. These projects help us understand how adaptive lighting can reduce energy use and minimise impacts on wildlife while maintaining safe lighting levels.
Reducing glare and light spill
Treatments like optical lensing can be retrofitted on LED streetlights to minimise light spill so that the light is only directed where it is required. This helps to improve safety and reduce light pollution.
Glare shields can be installed in areas where there are concerns about light spill. For example, within a 5 km radius of Mount Stromlo and near Canberra Airport.
We take into account a wide range of factors when assessing requests for streetlight upgrades. These include:
- supporting public and road safety
- encouraging public transport
- reducing energy consumption
- minimising light pollution as well as adhering to heritage requirements and planning rules.