LIGHT POLLUTION

• Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light. Pollution is the adding-of/added light itself.
  
  
  
  • Unpleasant light that intrudes on an otherwise natural or low-light setting
  • Excessive light (generally indoors) that leads to discomfort and adverse health effect
  
  
  Light trespass 
  
  
  Light trespass occurs when unwanted light enters one's property, for instance, by shining over a neighbor's fence. A common light trespass problem occurs when a strong light enters the window of one's home from the outside, causing problems such as sleep deprivation or the blocking of an evening view.

  Glare 

  • Blinding glare describes effects such as that caused by staring into the Sun. It is completely blinding and leaves temporary or permanent vision deficiencies.
  • Disability glare describes effects such as being blinded by oncoming car lights, or light scattering in fog or in the eye, reducing contrast, as well as reflections from print and other dark areas that render them bright, with significant reduction in sight capabilities.
  • Discomfort glare does not typically cause a dangerous situation in itself, though it is annoying and irritating at best. It can potentially cause fatigue if experienced over extended periods.
  
  
  
  
  I ask you with tears (literally) in my eyes why businesses have to install searchlights (really bright piercing lights) on the outside of their buildings.
  
  Security? Maybe.  But all these really bright lights do is highlight the target and make it easier for muggers and carjackers to see what they are doing.  People coming outside to go to their cars are just plain blinded by the really bright lights and cannot see who their attacker is.
  
  The business over the road from where I live has installed these really bright lights on their outside wall.  So bright that I cannot go onto my balcony without being blinded.  They also give me an  intense headache.  
  
  As far as I am concerned there is no point in these lights pointing upwards towards the building over the road.  They should be pointing downwards on the cars they are supposed to be protecting.
  
  When I complained about these "searchlights" the reply I got back from the CEO of the business, Red Pepper Studios, was:
  
  
  I acknowledge receipt of your mail. I will ask my people to look into the matter. They are not search lights and they were put there to light up our pavement after we suffered a few muggings and car thefts in the evening after 18h00.
  
  
  As you are no doubt aware, we are busy with building project at the moment and it seams as if one of the lights might have been accidentally moved. We will attend to this.  You have however made your point quite clear with respect to the whole blinding thing and I accept that diplomacy was never your strong point in life.
  
  
  Light pollution is a major problem in this world.  Not only because the security searchlights cause disruption to an astronomer's viewing pleasure and potentially blinding people, but they contribute to global warming.  Plants that are near these searchlights react to them by having no  night time so put out more oxygen in the air and don't "sleep."  I have noticed this on my plants that I have on the verandah are getting twenty four hours of light whereas my plants on the balcony are only getting 12 hours of light and are more healthy.
  
  
  While I am driving these lights are brighter than car bright lights and they really hurt my eyes.  At least when other cars lights are bright you can request a dim from them.
  
  
  Besides causing blindness they are such a waste of energy.  According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution#Light_trespass) "commercial lighting alone consumes about four to five million barrels per day (equivalent) of petroleum, "
  
  
  There are solutions from wikipedia:
  
  
  Reducing light pollution implies many things, such as reducing sky glow, reducing glare, reducing light trespass, and reducing clutter. The method for best reducing light pollution, therefore, depends on exactly what the problem is in any given instance. Possible solutions include:
  
  
  • Utilizing light sources of minimum intensity necessary to accomplish the light's purpose.
  • Turning lights off using a timer or occupancy sensor or manually when not needed.
  • Improving lighting fixtures, so that they direct their light more accurately towards where it is needed, and with less side effects.
  • Adjusting the type of lights used, so that the light waves emitted are those that are less likely to cause severe light pollution problems. Mercury, metal halide and above all first generation of blue-light LED road luminaires are much more pollutant that sodium lamps: Earth atmosphere scatters and transmits blue light better than yellow or red light. It is a common experience observing "glare" and "fog" around and below LED road luminaires as soon as air humidity increases, while orange sodium lamp luminaires are less prone to show this phenomenon.
  • Evaluating existing lighting plans, and re-designing some or all of the plans depending on  whether existing light is actually needed.
    The following website shows some examples of bad lights and how to direct them to make them better.
    http://aslc-nm.org/Lighting.html
  
  
  My comment:
  
  You don't have to point your lights skywards to protect your street. Point the the lights downwards. Replace the sharp searchlights with softer lights. Ones that don't blind your neighbours.
  
  
  My solution is why not put the lights onto movement detectors then when a potential thief walks past the movement detector switches the light on and they are blinded
  
  
  Put shades on them so the light shines downwards and does not shine upwards, and sideways. The following is from La Cruces ordinance on lighting
  http://aslc-nm.org/LCLightingCode.pdf
  
  
  Outdoor lighting fixtures: Any lighting device located exterior to a structure or intended to illuminate areas exterior to a structure, whether permanently or temporarily installed. Such devices include, but are not limited to, search lights,spotlights, flood lights, sign and architectural lighting, and lighting for
  parks,parking lots, roadways, and athletic facilities.
  
  
  Illuminating devices:
  1. Light fixture types:
  a. Full cutoff fixture types--A fixture which, as installed, gives no emission of light above a horizontal plane;
  b. Floodlights and spotlights--Fixtures defined as having a full beam width or beam spread of less than 110 degrees;
  (2) Lamp types:
  a. Incandescent lamps--Lamps which produce light via an electrically heated metallic filament;
  b. Fluorescent lamps--Lamps which use fluorescence of a phosphor to produce visible light.
  c. High intensity discharge lamps--Lamps which produce visible light directly by the electrical heating or excitation of a gas. Examples of such lighting include, but are not limited to, Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium, Low Pressure Sodium, and Mercury Vapor. For purposes of this chapter, fluorescent lights are not considered HID lighting.