Cumberland needs a go-slow approach when it comes to the idea of eliminating street lights.

Earlier this month, it was suggested that doing away with some street lights may be a way of helping the city cope with a $1.33 million cut in state funding.

John Chapman, assistant director of public works and manager of the maintenance division, said he was given the task of cutting 8.1 percent from 13 different budgets. He said through all of the budgets, the common line items are the Allegheny Power lights the city pays for monthly to light neighborhoods, streets and the city of Cumberland.

“To get that 8.1 percent, the only real place to do that is the Allegheny Power lights,” Chapman told the mayor and councill. “That’s about $37,500 which, if you do the math, is about 250 street lights to be reduced.”

While it was pointed out that there are some areas of the city that have redundant lighting, we doubt that there are many. Chapman said redundant lights might be places next to bridge lights or next to street lights where private light sources are in the same proximity. “Centre Street is an example of this. There is a lot of light coming from the Public Safety parking lot and across the street where there are street lights we pay for. There are some other areas around the city where this is the same kind of thing.”

Officials are emphasizing that the city does not want to reduce lighting in areas close to schools, at intersections, in alleys and in known high-crime areas. That doesn’t leave much else.

Losing even a few neighborhood lights could be problematic in terms of public safety and crime prevention.

Rather than considering large-scale street lighting cuts, we urge the city to look elsewhere in the budget. Public safety has to be a priority when it comes to which services to maintain.