Youth demand more light: Bad Segeberg fights against darkness!

Youth demand more light: Bad Segeberg fights against darkness!

There's a lot of buzzing going on in Bad Segeberg. A conflict between the needs of children and young people and the protection of local bats is causing excitement in the city. The Children and Youth Advisory Board has now taken the initiative and is calling for concrete measures to improve safety. As ln-online.de reports, youth groups express a “vehement feeling of insecurity” at dusk, especially in streets like Nelkenweg, Am Apfelgarten and Lübecker Straße, to name just a few.

The lighting in new development areas and many other streets leaves a lot to be desired. The seminar route was also described as problematic. The young people are demanding that the city examine the dark corners and find solutions. Surprisingly, the city council seems to be behind this issue. The last committees made unanimous recommendations to clarify and improve the situation.

The dichotomy between security and nature conservation

The city council will decide on the proposals on July 22nd. The building committee chairman, Wolfgang Tödt, also sees the need to include other streets that are considered “dreams” for the population in the review. For Mayor Toni Köppen, the topic is particularly sensitive because many of the areas mentioned are relevant to the protection of bats - and there are reasons for that.

Bats have been part of our nature for around 50 million years, including over 1,400 species worldwide, 25 of which are found in this country. These nocturnal animals have few natural enemies, but have to fight against the negative effects of intensive agriculture and the loss of their habitat. Their neighborhoods are being destroyed by construction work and environmental influences. This problem has also contributed to the endangerment of bats, as nabu.de explains in detail.

Sustainable solutions in sight

In order to ensure both the safety of the population and the protection of animal species worthy of protection, the city of Bad Segeberg is planning innovative lighting concepts. Mayor Köppen is thinking about switching to LEDs and introducing “intelligent” lanterns that activate when there is movement and only light up for a short time. This could take into account both the safety needs of local residents and the needs of nature conservation.

The local city administration is already working intensively on these solutions, which could potentially reduce prejudices against bats. Because these prejudices often contribute to the danger. Finding a balance between human needs and ecological requirements will be one of the biggest challenges for Bad Segeberg in the coming weeks. We remain curious to see how the situation will develop.