Atlanta launches next phase of 'Light Up the Night' plan

ATLANTA - Atlanta officials have launched the next phase of a project aimed at boosting safety using streetlights across the city.

The city's Light Up the Night initiative aims to add more lights to brighten up dark areas in communities with higher rates of crime and traffic collisions.

On Wednesday night, Mayor Andre Dickens joined other officials in the old Adamsville neighborhood where he grew up to kick off the addition of 20,000 new lights. 

"Criminals like to hide out in the dark, so if you make it brighter, then more light will be on the situation, and they won't be able to commit as many crimes," Dickens told FOX 5.

The mayor said the initiative is also designed to prevent crashes involving drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The plan was first announced by former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in 2021 as part of a push to improve Atlanta's infrastructure and tackle crime rates.

The team behind the original six-month study by the Department of Transportation and Georgia Tech students estimated that the initiative could lead to a 20% reduction in crime.

Since the start of the initiative, more than 10,000 LED lights have been installed, repaired, and upgraded by Georgia Power.