Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
The San Diego Smart Streetlight program has proven to be an utter disaster. What started as a program to collect data so that city planners could resolve traffic issues has turned into a $30 million pet project that has gone severely over budget and is seemingly going nowhere.
Like many other government programs, “smart streetlights” are seeing more money poured into them with little to show for it. Perhaps the worst part about it is the fact that the City of San Diego is in no hurry to axe the failed program.
Even though the city is in the midst of a crisis and currently facing a massive budget deficit, officials seem adamant about keeping the program. Though it is a failure, the city will still be paying $1.3 million for services related to the program this year.
This project is a perfect example of what happens to the majority of government plans. They never fail to under-deliver, but somehow always go over budget. At the launch of the program, the company contracted for the job, GE Current, suggested that the benefits would include “innovative apps that improve public health, safety, and our quality of life.” It comes off as a joke now, but unfortunately, it’s a very expensive one—and no one is laughing.
“I’m not surprised the city has struggled to make the best use of it,” said Eric Busboom, a technologist and the director of the San Diego Regional Data Library. “I think they just underestimated how much effort that’s going to be.”
That sounds much more accurate. This is just another failed government program to add to the pile, and as a result, leaves less money for things the city really needs to focus on.
