let there be a little less light, councillor says - solar powered street lights residential

Two different street lights on the 29 th and Fraser in Vancouver.
The old-fashioned sodium light on the left and the new LED light on the right. If Coun.
Elizabeth Bauer has her way, and the bright lights of the Vancouver skyline and streets can get a little dim.
In order to control the growing problem of light pollution worldwide, Bauer hopes that the city will introduce a strategy to shield the lights, reduce unnecessary glare and switch to more eco-friendly lighting sources.
This includes encouraging homeowners and private construction owners to turn off, block, or direct the lights to specific tasks rather than letting them shoot into the universe.
"We are working on a strategy for what we should do to reduce the use of light at night.
They don't have to be illuminated at night.
"They can be taken off slightly, or restored to glow," Ball said . ".
Ball has the support of the city's chief engineer, director of planning and the International Dark organization --
The Sky Society says cities like Vancouver need to ease a bit.
"We're not talking about turning off the lights," said John Valencia, Tuscon's project director --based Dark-Sky Association.
"Lighting is necessary in terms of public safety.
What we are asking, however, is this light necessary?
If not, turn it off or turn it off.
In many cases, we tend to overlight.
"Light pollution is a serious problem in many developed countries.
The term has an impact on both human and animal health, says Valencia.
On Tuesday, Ball launched a motion to the city council to ask the public to contribute to the new outdoor lighting strategy.
She wants the city to develop policies that will eventually put in place a regulation that will limit "light intrusion" and help reduce the amount of light reflected into the atmosphere.
"I'm talking about light.
The lights are stuck on the back of the building that leads directly to the sky, the floodlights on the buildings where many of our city center's targets are incorrect, and other unnecessary lights, "she said.
"What I'm talking about is not to deprive the creative use of light or to reduce public safety.
Brian Jackson, director of planning in Vancouver, said he appreciated Bauer's proposal.
"We welcome this motion as it will be an important strategy to address several issues.
But we have to look at it in the context of balancing safety issues because we have to have an acceptable level of light on the ground for pedestrians and vehicles, "he said.
The effects of light pollution range from wasted energy to more severe effects that destroy animal and human circadian rhythms.
"Animals do not have the ability to process light during part of the night because their biology is not expected.
So we see a decline in the number of insects and birds, especially in cities . "
"We are an animal that is no different from any other creature, and we have not evolved to adapt to having all these artificial light.
It's a bit like putting the body in a permanent state of jet lag.
The body is trying to match the day and night cycle controlled by the sun, and when it is not expected, we will constantly enter the system.
Last week, Vancouver adopted a new bird strategy designed to mitigate the city's impact on the number of birds.
It includes a resolution to reduce light pollution to prevent birds from hitting buildings.
Some Canadian municipalities, including Saanich, have taken minor measures to reduce emissions.
In the next five years, New York will spend $76 million to transform 250,000 street lamps.
Los Angeles costs $56 million.
But Vancouver is Canada's largest city considering plans to cut emissions.
Peter Judd, general manager of engineering in Vancouver, said Vancouver has moved in that direction for economic reasons.
More than 55,000 high
Pressure Sodium street lamps are slowly turning into energy-saving LED (light-emitting diode)
When the lights wear. (
LED lights use about 60-per-
A little less energy than sodium. )
They will be equipped with better directional shielding to minimize light intrusion, and changes from Orange street lighting to white base will also help to better illuminate intersections and pedestrian areas.
But Judd says future improvements may include
Demand lighting, in which the proximity of pedestrians and vehicles triggers the otherwise darkened street light to turn on and then darken again after passing through.
At present, the cost of LED street lamps is about $500, while the cost of sodium is $150, but the cost is expected to decline as demand increases in more cities.
Judd said he expects 10 to 15 years to complete the replacement plan.
Vancouver has transformed 18 major intersections into LED lights, Powell Street flyover and the new Comox-
Hello McKen bikeway.
In addition to the signing of the charter, the city does not regulate the lighting of private property.
It does need new developments to submit lighting plans, but Jackson says the city will start asking for more information to reduce light pollution in the future. Twitter.
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