Belgium once ran the most brightly lit motorway network in the world. The orange glow was strong enough to pick the country out from orbit. Then Flanders switched most of it off. Since 15 July 2011, about half the motorways go dark at night. The lights stay on where safety needs them: the Brussels ring, big junctions, roadworks and accidents. The saving is about €2 million a year — and Belgium is a little harder to spot from space.
