 | 19 |
 | John S Lewis |
 | Unknown |
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Stockport - Light pollution from street light.
This photo was taken from my front bedroom window. It shows the level of intrusive light from a Stockport Council street light, one of 550 white street lights they installed in May 2000. The road here is lit to almost twice the required level and high levels of light are being shone well beyond the limits of the road and pavement. The intrusive light into upstairs windows reaches 6 times the level recommended by the Institution of Lighting Engineers. So much for this Council's concern for light pollution and climate change! See picture #22 for the same view in daytime.
Picture Added on 05 August 2005.
Comments
Phil - The house shown above is being subjected to around 12 lux into the upper floor (bedroom) windows - my measurements, meter verified by two lighting engineers' readings. The lighting engineers responsible for this disgraceful waste of energy and severe intrusion have completely ignored these issues. My opinion is that the road is a category 2/2 to BS 5489 Part 2. The Council agree with me (in writing) as does a lighting engineer who carried out a report on the scheme - the road is overclassified by 50% (1.5 cd/m2 cf 1cd/m2). The recommended level of "pollutant", according to the Institution of Lighting Engineers, is 2 lux into windows; therefore the houses here are seeing 6 times that level. Levels, by the way, have been confirmed by the Council themselves on more than one occasion, although, just like the people who designed the lighting, the Council have willingly allowed this pollution to occur - they know all about their significantly polluting scheme. The lights have recently been altered and light levels into my bedroom windows have increased by 33%, due mainly to the repositioning of a full cut off unit. My recommended level of "pollutant" is 0 lux, particularly into bedroom windows. If you understand about road lighting (I suspect that you do) then you will understand that there is no requirement in the code to light up any vertical surfaces beyond a distance of 5 metres maximum from the edge of the carriageway. The design of road lighting is based upon negative contrast and vertical illuminance outside the lit area has no benefit. The use of white metal halide lights is also causing road safety issues here.
Added by John S Lewis on 04 August 2006.
Added by John S Lewis on 04 August 2006.
Can you provide an update 3 years later? Got some god-awful lighting right outside our windows.
Added by Lolo on 19 April 2008.
Added by Lolo on 19 April 2008.
For more information on this subject see the following website.
Dark Sky Lighting
Added by PHIL on 26 March 2006.