The Helgevärma area on the outskirts of Växjö is a popular place for bats, but it has been found that the animals are disturbed by the street lighting from road 25 and then dare not cross the road.

Consequently, the Swedish Transport Administration, in consultation with the municipality of Växjö, has decided to extinguish parts of the lighting from 1 April.

- The bats are nocturnal animals that are disturbed by the strong road lighting, and therefore they cannot move freely in the area. We therefore choose to turn off the lighting on certain parts of the route to benefit the bats' lives during the summer months when they are most active, says Eva Ditlevsen, environmental specialist at the Swedish Transport Administration.

Exits still illuminated

The area must be extinguished in the evening and night time from April 1 until the end of September 2020, this is because during the summer season the bats are active. On and off runs will continue to be kept lit. But otherwise, the Swedish Transport Administration is of the opinion that the extinguished lamps will not affect road safety.

Bats are a threatened group of animals that are protected under the Species Regulation and must not be caught, killed or moved.