Better Streetlights for Tulsa

[patric]

http://www.fox23.com/news/tulsa-woman-takes-alternate-route-after-city-stalls-light-installation/210023733

Yes Virginia, the electric company will gladly install a third-world grade NEMA High-Pressure Sodium "security" light for anyone with an electric bill.
Oh, and yes, they are the same as what the city rents for residential street lights, the only difference is the rate charged (Municipal Street Light rate Vs. Non-Roadway Lighting rate).

Thinking that the taxpayers should foot the bill for a leased light in your front yard is just another form of entitlement, but seriously, these sort of glare-bombs should be banned regardless of who pays.

[Hoss]

I noticed that during the rebuild of I-244 between the IDL and Memorial that they were replacing lighting and new signpost gantries (using the new monotube gantries).  They appear to be white LEDs but note I'm not an expert.  Instead of posting the new lights on the shoulders, these share a post mounted in the middle of the medians.

https://goo.gl/6hh0eu

[patric]

Instead of posting the new lights on the shoulders, these share a post mounted in the middle of the medians.

Remember when the Broken Arrow expressway was like that?  Didnt hear much about the wire being stolen back then.

[patric]

Chicago's massive streetlight initiative:


Dear Citizens,

Given the recent advances and price decreases in LED lighting technology, Mayor Emanuel has requested the Chicago Infrastructure Trust (CIT) seek out information on performing energy efficient upgrades to 270,000+ existing Chicago lights throughout the city. It's important that we do NOT use bright white/ blue-rich spectrum lighting as it has serious negative effects on human health, the environment, and the ecosystem.

If done incorrectly, Chicago, which is already rated the number one most light-polluted city in the world, could become 5 times brighter than it already is! Please note, we are not advocating for no lights. We advocate for lighting that is responsible and no brighter than necessary, with a maximum correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3,000K and only pointing light on the ground where it is needed -- never sideways or upwards, which can cause unnecessary skyglow. With current technology, research findings, and a plethora of resources, we can have both necessary street lighting AND starlight in Chicago. Please see what Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/delight-pittsburgh-city-night-lights-tickets-24605838726) and its Office of Sustainability is doing with their De-Light Pittsburgh initiative to spread awareness of light pollution in their city and restoring starlight over the city.  

We do not want to go through the same issues the citizens of Phoenix, Arizona went through early April, or the citizens of Davis, California did in 2014. There were many complaints by both Phoenix and Davis residents. Phoenix townspeople complained that the new bright white LEDs made their neighborhoods seem like a "prisoner of war camp" or "a sterile hospital waiting room." Many residents of Davis believed that the new fixtures were "too bright, producing too much glare and light trespass, increasing skyglow and light pollution, and resulting in potential negative impact on human health and wildlife." Chicago can learn from these case studies and avoid installing bright white, blue-rich spectrum LEDs before there is a demand from citizens to reinstall the lights with warmer LEDs.



https://www.change.org/p/rahm-emanuel-bring-back-chicago-s-starry-night-with-responsible-city-lighting

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-chicago-brighter-street-lights-20160418-story.html
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2016/04/09/phoenixs-led-streetlights-spark-light-pollution-debate/82634420
http://volt.org/lessons-learned-davis-ca-led-streetlight-retrofit/

[patric]

AMA Adopts Community Guidance to Reduce the Harmful Human and Environmental Effects of High Intensity Street Lighting

For immediate release:
June 14, 2016

CHICAGO - Strong arguments exist for overhauling the lighting systems on U.S. roadways with light emitting diodes (LED), but conversions to improper LED technology can have adverse consequences. In response, physicians at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) today adopted guidance for communities on selecting among LED lighting options to minimize potential harmful human and environmental effects.

Converting conventional street light to energy efficient LED lighting leads to cost and energy savings, and a lower reliance on fossil-based fuels. Approximately 10 percent of existing U.S. street lighting has been converted to solid state LED technology, with efforts underway to accelerate this conversion.

"Despite the energy efficiency benefits, some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting," AMA Board Member Maya A. Babu, M.D., M.B.A. "The new AMA guidance encourages proper attention to optimal design and engineering features when converting to LED lighting that minimize detrimental health and environmental effects."

High-intensity LED lighting designs emit a large amount of blue light that appears white to the naked eye and create worse nighttime glare than conventional lighting. Discomfort and disability from intense, blue-rich LED lighting can decrease visual acuity and safety, resulting in concerns and creating a road hazard.

In addition to its impact on drivers, blue-rich LED streetlights operate at a wavelength that most adversely suppresses melatonin during night. It is estimated that white LED lamps have five times greater impact on circadian sleep rhythms than conventional street lamps. Recent large surveys found that brighter residential nighttime lighting is associated with reduced sleep times, dissatisfaction with sleep quality, excessive sleepiness, impaired daytime functioning and obesity.

The detrimental effects of high-intensity LED lighting are not limited to humans. Excessive outdoor lighting disrupts many species that need a dark environment. For instance, poorly designed LED lighting disorients some bird, insect, turtle and fish species, and U.S. national parks have adopted optimal lighting designs and practices that minimize the effects of light pollution on the environment.

Recognizing the detrimental effects of poorly-designed, high-intensity LED lighting, the AMA encourages communities to minimize and control blue-rich environmental lighting by using the lowest emission of blue light possible to reduce glare. The AMA recommends an intensity threshold for optimal LED lighting that minimizes blue-rich light. The AMA also recommends all LED lighting should be properly shielded to minimize glare and detrimental human health and environmental effects, and consideration should be given to utilize the ability of LED lighting to be dimmed for off-peak time periods.

The guidance adopted today by grassroots physicians who comprise the AMA's policy-making body strengthens the AMA's policy stand against light pollution and public awareness of the adverse health and environmental effects of pervasive nighttime lighting.

###

Media Contact:
AMA Media and Editorial
Pressroom: (312) 239-4991
Email: media@ama-assn.org

With warm-white LEDs being so commonplace these days, there's simply no excuse to light the streets with welding torch-like blue light.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Flew over Chicago at night a few months ago...it is truly an amazing sight, still.  And orange-ish!!

[patric]

Houston citizens petition city to change LED streetlight revamp to something less blue:

https://www.change.org/p/city-of-houston-tx-centerpoint-energy-led-street-lights-feel-like-the-aliens-have-landed-need-better-choice/u/15035034

[Cetary]

Looks like true warm white, 3000 kelvin, led streetlights are finally gaining something in the way of traction. Lake Worth, Florida warm white led streetlights.

http://www.lakeworth.org/topics/2016/05/03/lightsapproach/

It definitely looks something more like your bedside lamp rather then your tv. Looks like a Leotek fixture actually.



Definitely a far cry from the first generation blue rich models.

A little bonus, some of Northampton's warm white LED street lighting.

[davideinstein]

Flew over Chicago at night a few months ago...it is truly an amazing sight, still.  And orange-ish!!

Perfect city grid.

[patric]

Thanks for this picture, it demonstrates the "cutoff" were supposed to have under the new ordinances (as well as the difference between "warm" and "cool" lighting which we still dont get).

Looks like true warm white, 3000 kelvin, led streetlights are finally gaining something in the way of traction. Lake Worth, Florida warm white led streetlights.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Perfect city grid.

I really don't like Chicago at all, but gotta admit, flying over it is very impressive.  Almost "pretty".   Flying over the northeast corridor is pretty amazing, too...hundreds of miles of solid light, 100 miles wide!   I can never tell which town is which.  Baltimore has a dark band on it's south side, so I can tell where it must be, but can't really pick it out...

[patric]

I really don't like Chicago at all, but gotta admit, flying over it is very impressive.  Almost "pretty".   Flying over the northeast corridor is pretty amazing, too...hundreds of miles of solid light, 100 miles wide!   I can never tell which town is which.  Baltimore has a dark band on it's south side, so I can tell where it must be, but can't really pick it out...

Chicago blends right into Milwaukee.  Its simultaneously beautiful and grotesque.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130720-night-dark-light-pollution-science-stars/

Imagine what the orange sodium light will look like when it is replaced with blue-rich welding-torch-like LEDs.

Doesnt have to be that way... Installing warmer-color LEDs would be the BEST PRACTICE (...ahem).

[heironymouspasparagus]

Yeah.  It's like flying over a giant orange 'spider web'....

[Cetary]

City of Northampton goes warm white LED for street light refit.

http://ma-northampton.civicplus.com/1688/LED-Streetlights

"-The City checked one last time with the contractor that will install the lamps on whether a warmer white LED had recently become available that would be eligible for a utility rebate. The contractor looked into it and responded that none had.

-Based on community input and the available technology that is eligible for a utility rebate, the city has specified that all LED lights are to be the warm white version.

-Historically, there have been a handful of residential streets that have had slightly brighter street lights than the majority of residential streets. Based on the community's input and after conferring with the city's Police Department and DPW regarding safety concerns, the city has reduced the specified brightness level for several of these streets to match the majority of the city's residential streets."

It's interesting to see that while the city presumably tested 3000 kelvin warm white models, there seems to be a possible preference to the even warmer 2700 kelvin LED. That's just speculation based off of Davis though.

It also looks like certain neighborhoods may also have been over lit, and now they're bringing the output down to more reasonable levels based off of actual community preference.

Finally, what's also interesting to note is the fixture optics of which are specifically designed to restrict light trespass into people's houses and instead send that light out into street, light where it's needed. The pictures just posted above are of the lights that were trailed. New York certainly has a thing or two to learn from Northampton...

[cannon_fodder]

There was a good story on "State Impact Oklahoma" about the blue LED.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2016/07/21/as-cities-in-oklahoma-update-streetlights-with-leds-doctors-warn-about-road-ahead/

What they never mention is why cities want the blue lights?