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As cars run through the streets of Westwood and students and city residents roam the sidewalks, b

As students walk home to their apartments on the west side of campus, they may find that many of the streetlights that had been installed to brighten their path are now dark.

As of Wednesday night, about a third of the street lights by the apartments on the west side of campus are not working, including many located in the areas where armed robberies have occurred over the past several months.

City officials were not available for comment about the non-operating lights.

Out of 44 lights that were observed along the streets of Strathmore Drive and Levering, Midvale, Landfair, Kelton and Gayley Avenues, 15 of them were not working.

Some of the streets, including Levering and Midvale Avenues and Strathmore Drive, have a higher percentage of non-functional lights in comparison to other streets in the area.

Nancy Greenstein, a spokeswoman for the University Police, said she had not received any complaints about the lighting in the residential area on the west side of campus and the lack of lighting does not contribute to a heightened safety risk.

Greenstein said UCPD encourages students to walk in well-lit areas and to take advantage of the Community Service Officer escort service – a free service available to students, faculty, staff and visitors from dusk until 1 a.m.

CSOs escort callers between campus buildings, local living areas and Westwood Village within the boundaries of Wilshire Boulevard to the south, Sunset Boulevard to the north, Hilgard Avenue to the east and Veteran Avenue to the west.

Housing Director Michael Foraker also said no complaints about dark street lights had been brought to his attention. Foraker added that if it was an issue, Housing would work with the city to resolve the problem.

According to the City of Los Angeles Web site, the Bureau of Street Lighting – one of the six bureaus in the Department of Public Works – is responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of the street lighting system in Los Angeles.

The Bureau of Street Lighting encourages residents to report damaged light poles, exposed wiring, burned out bulbs or any other street lighting problems to them. This can be done by dialing 3-1-1 or by reporting the problems through the bureau’s Web site, according to the Web site.

In addition to relying on residents to report problems with existing street lights, property owners are able to request additional lighting as they feel is necessary, at a cost of about $1,600 to $3,500 per light.

Some students are concerned about all the light outages.

“I’ve always thought it’s an issue,” said Elizabeth Carrillo, a fourth-year sociology student.

Carrillo said she tries to avoid the darker streets and will usually use the escort service instead of walking by herself at night.

Some students who do not often walk late at night are still concerned about the poor lighting.

“I don’t walk too much, but it’s kind of strange walking down the dark streets,” said Raul Aleman, a fourth-year history and Spanish student.