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[DSLF] Digest Number 517
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There are 7 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. 'Plasma-induction' lamps
From: "Karolyn Beebe" <keedos@earthlink...>
2. Lighting and Crime - A personal observation
From: "John Nusbaum" <jnusbaum@bellatlantic...>
3. A different approach
From: Steve Davis <w2sgd@juno...>
4. Glare Causes Accident
From: "einhornresearch" <EinhornResearch@hotmail...>
5. Glare From Vehicle Headlamps and Other Front-Mounted Lamps
From: "David Penasa" <dpenasa@bplw...>
6. Re: cities with little or no streetlighting
From: patric@ghostriders...
7. Outstanding Report from Fairfax County Virginia
From: "John Nusbaum" <jnusbaum@bellatlantic...>
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 10:58:39 -0600
From: "Karolyn Beebe" <keedos@earthlink...>
Subject: 'Plasma-induction' lamps
'Plasma-induction' lamps sound real good in here:
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=News&story_id=32342
It says they last up to 20 years, provide twice the light & use 40 per cent
less energy... and didn't someone once write that they are also less toxic to
produce and discard? Well, that article comes up in websearches for those
lamps so far, but that's about all that's useful. I'd love to send it to
officials, elected and otherwise with links to more about them, especially
the lumens per watt compared to HPS (Initial Rated Light Output of Various
Lamps
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/nelpag/lamps.html )
The savings might be remarkable. With the objective of *not exceeding
recommended light levels* even more watts can go. Could even better Calgary's
savings! (Calgary to Overhaul Lighting, about half way down in:
http://www.skypub.com/news/010817.html )
Who makes them, where to get them, if anyone has more information on
plasma-induction lamps, PLEASE post it.
Thank you,
Karolyn Beebe
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 12:43:30 -0500
From: "John Nusbaum" <jnusbaum@bellatlantic...>
Subject: Lighting and Crime - A personal observation
I was inspired to write this by Cliff's story about losing his trees due
to dusk to dawn lighting.
Here is my experience from my own neighborhood with lighting and crime.
This is in no way a scientific study . It is just my own personal
observation.
For the last 5 years I have lived in a neighborhood that is about two
blocks from a very high crime area. On each side of the access road
leading to my neighborhood are brightly lit, high density, low cost
housing areas. These areas are actually a part of our neighborhood and
we share the same homeowners association, the same school, the same
playgrounds, and the same community pool. As the road enters our part
of the neighborhood the street lights end and we have only the modest
lighting from our homes to light the sidewalks and roadway.
The cops routinely patrol these brightly lit areas and crime, drugs, and
vandalism are a regular problem. Driving home I will occasionally see a
car with the glass broken out. I have worried about this a lot and
thought that if this began to be a problem in my part of the
neighborhood that I would have to move out. But for 5 years I have
never seen any evidence of vandalism and the police rarely patrol our
area. My neighbors regularly go for walks in the evenings. And we have
no public street lighting at all. I have really been absolutely amazed
by this fact.
No one in my neighborhood is rich. Several of the people on my street
are folks that worked their way out of the other part of the
neighborhood. I have honestly been shocked that we seem to be immune
from the crime that takes place on a regular basis right up the street.
Why wouldn't the criminals pray upon us too? We have a little more
money and we are practically right in their back yard.
Because of the way my neighborhood is set-up I have to drive by this
area every single day and have been very observant of the more visible
types of vandalism. I have seen broken windows on cars right up to the
exact point where the street lighting ends and have never seen it beyond
the lights. This is based on 5 solid years of personal observation.
Since I have become more educated about lighting issues, I have to
wonder about bright lighting being an invitation to people who want to
be roaming the streets at night. I mean, except for the occasional
evening stroll, my neighbors have no interest in seeing our teenage kids
loitering under a street light into the wee hours of the morning . and
the vandalism seems to literally end where the street lights end.
I have often wondered what would happen if one of my neighbors or the
homeowners association would start a campaign to get street lights in
our section of the neighborhood. I would not be shocked if they were
working on it right now. Would it serve as an invitation for the
criminals to operate in our area too?
Honestly, I'm afraid it would be. The lighting, in this instance at
least, would detract from our security rather than add to it and would
be a horrible mistake.
John Nusbaum
Herndon VA
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 14:23:00 -0500
From: Steve Davis <w2sgd@juno...>
Subject: A different approach
Everybody wants to know what light is best. How about which dog is best?
"Dogs better than machines for today's security effort"
by Michael Regan, AP
"... there's nothing better than a dog."
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 21:25:12 -0000
From: "einhornresearch" <EinhornResearch@hotmail...>
Subject: Glare Causes Accident
A letter appearing in yesterday's (12/9/01) Boston Globe lists
glare as the cause of a motor vehicle accident! The bulk of the
letter is complaining about auto insurance surcharges. But, one
sentence stands out.
"I hit a telephone pole while driving about 5 m.p.h. in a parking
lot. I was blinded by the floodlight mounted on the pole."
The letter writer is a Marcel Kates of Pepperell, MA. Does anyone
want to contact him for more information?
I can't wait for someone to finally do an analysis of how many
accidents are attributable to this cause and start taking action in
the courts!
Mike Hansen
Cambridge, MA
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 15:14:21 -0700
From: "David Penasa" <dpenasa@bplw...>
Subject: Glare From Vehicle Headlamps and Other Front-Mounted Lamps
A Light Pollution-related topic (glare) was noted in the Dec 8 Road
Warrior column by D'VAl Westphal in the Albuquerque Journal. See
http://www.abqjournal.com/use/532854use12-08-01.htm
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants input on
headlamp glare - due to lights mounted too high on tall vehicles (SUVs,
etc.), the new bluish HID (high intensity discharge) headlamps, foglight
usage, etc. NHTSA is looking for answers and has a survey at
http://dms.dot.gov. There are already over 1300 comments!
Go to Docket No. NHTSA-2001-8885, "Glare from Headlamps, Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108; Lamps, Reflective Devices, and
Associated Equipment - Request for Comments," and then file your own
comment(s).
David
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 17:25:02 -0800
From: patric@ghostriders...
Subject: Re: cities with little or no streetlighting
Steve Davis wrote:
> Niskayuna has
> the best, although not perfect, LP ordinance in the state.
> It has references to the IESNA and must have been written
> by an engineer.
Just for grins I downloaded their ordinance at
http://www.niskayuna.org/town_code1.htm
Their strength seems to be in placing the burden of the city lighting
"expertise" on a qualified, recognized body -- IESNA -- which takes the
liability off of their engineering and legal departments.
The one big weakness I found was that the code mandates public places be
continuously lit (regardless of occupancy) and lit with Metal Halide.
The first flaw is not very economical but is likely a vestige of
outdated conventional municipal lighting methods (and perhaps the fear
of being sued for not "preventing crime" with dusk-to-dawn lights),
while the second flaw prevents the community from utilizing emerging
technologies, like CF and induction lighting, by locking them into to
using a relatively older technology (Metal Halide).
As Steve said, it's not perfect, but I can still see some of the
language being borrowed for future ordinances elsewhere, though.
Patric.
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 11:09:27 -0500
From: "John Nusbaum" <jnusbaum@bellatlantic...>
Subject: Outstanding Report from Fairfax County Virginia
"With the increasing urbanization of Fairfax County, exterior (outdoor)
lighting and light pollution in its many forms have become pressing
issues in our communities." And it only gets better from there!
This is a quote from the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory
Council (EQAC) Annual Report. (EQAC) is appointed by the Fairfax County
Board of Supervisors to advise the Board on environmental matters. Each
year, EQAC prepares an Annual Report on the Environment that summarizes
environmental conditions, trends, programs, legislation, and issues in
Fairfax County and presents to the Board EQAC's recommendations on a
variety of environmental issues.
This year the report includes a wonderful section on light pollution
that strongly recommends the creation of a comprehensive lighting
ordinance in Fairfax County. This section of the report was researched
and prepared primarily by EQAC member Frank Crandall. Mr. Crandall used
quite a bit of information provided by the Virginia Outdoor Lighting
Taskforce (www.volt.org <http://www.volt.org/> ) in his report as well
as information gathered from the IDA and other professional lighting
resources.
The Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce is a citizens group formed to
help combat glare, light trespass, urban sky glow and energy waste in
Virginia.
This report is so good and makes the case for a lighting ordinance so
well that I feel it could help folks around the country make the case in
their own communities.
Check out Chapter 7 of the report at:
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/gov/eqac/annualreport.htm
Here are some important demographic facts about Fairfax County:
Suburb of Washington DC
Population (2000) = 964,712
Median Household Income = $82,000
Regards,
John Nusbaum
Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce (VOLT)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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