THE safety of Dubbo residents could be compromised by the number of dimly-lit areas in the city, the Dubbo Ratepayers and Residents Association (DRRA) has said.
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Merrilyn Mulcahy, the president of the DRRA, said there were a number of areas about Dubbo that either did not have enough street lights or where the lights were faulty.
"Statistics show one in six street lights are out in Dubbo," she said.
Ms Mulcahy said poorly-lit areas could have dire consequences for residents and visitors.
"Areas that do not have adequate lighting are very unsafe and quite dangerous," she said.
"Low lighting encourages bad behaviour."
Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show 60 per cent of all sexual assaults reported occurred at night in the Dubbo local government area in 2014.
Ms Mulcahy said Essential Energy was the cause of the problem and it "needed to step up" and rectify the issue.
"It's up to Essential Energy to replace the bulbs," she said.
"They're not doing their job."
Ms Mulcahy said energy bills had to be paid regardless of whether lights were working or not.
"It's costing the Dubbo City Council and taxpayers money," she said.
The DRRA also expressed concern about areas which had minimal numbers of street lights.
The Mitchell Highway between Sheraton Road and Orana Mall was an example of an area of concern, Ms Malcahy said.
She said there should be more lighting there, especially with the Keswick Estate development.
"As the population is growing there should be more lights," she said.
However, plans to install more lighting were not on the agenda for the NSW Roads and Maritime Services, a spokesperson said.
"Dubbo City Council manages street lighting along this section of the Mitchell Highway," she said.
"Lighting improvements would be assessed by Roads and Maritime Services."
Steve Clayton, the council's manager of infrastructure and solid waste, said the problem was an RMS issue, but the council was not aware of any planned lighting extensions.
"There are no proposals within Dubbo City Council's Street Lighting Business Plan to extend the street lighting on the Mitchell Highway," he said.
"It is not anticipated further lighting will be installed until Keswick Estate is further developed or additional intersections are constructed in the future."