Bryn666 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:10
I don't know why people are so nostalgic about orange skies at night. It's much more pleasant now you can see vast numbers of stars in urban areas and the roads when driving aren't a washed out yellow which masked signs (hence why we needed expensive external sign lighting in lit areas).
LEDs are a vast improvement and I have no issue with the actual light. My issue is the sheer banality of design, nearly all post-top steel galvanised CU or Stainton columns with lanterns that look like a 2 year old designed them.
I certainly have noticed the stars are more easily visible from our local terraced streets than with the previous SOX lighting. We still have a scattering of random unconverted lights nearly two years after the rest were done, I've no idea why.
Last night I attended a regular informal gathering of birdwatchers in Hebden Bridge, and the question was asked by one participant whether any research had been done on LED lighting's affect on wildlife. The room was split between those who believed the lighting was much brighter and so would lbe likey to have an adverse affect, and those who argued that it was much more directional so should be an improvement. The wider environmental benefits of lower power consumption were also mentioned, plus the fact that SOX lighting was well known to confuse birds into singing at night. Is anybody aware of any scientific study that has been undertaken regarding wildlife?
The nostalgia isn't so much about the colour of the light but the shape of the lanterns. Some LED lanterns resemble the shape of SOX with a little shoe at the end. Those on the M4 at Reading are on small arched brackets which appear identical to MA60's on Dutch road even though there's a 30+ year age gap.
Truvelo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 12:30
The nostalgia isn't so much about the colour of the light but the shape of the lanterns. Some LED lanterns resemble the shape of SOX with a little shoe at the end. Those on the M4 at Reading are on small arched brackets which appear identical to MA60's on Dutch road even though there's a 30+ year age gap.
Medway Council is still predominantly SON lighting from the mass replacement of CFL and SOX from unification in 1998 to have uniform lighting (although that hasn't happened yet) with WRTL and Phillips lanterns.
Despite KCC's LED programme, Medway is not following suit - there is a moratorium of spending so this is not about to happen.
The council only does occasional column/lantern replacements using WRTL/Phillips LED lanterns (owing to their contract with Phillips) on to all column types - even concrete!
As a result, there is variable lantern types including SOX, SON and CFL that have not been replaced and used alongside LED.
In conclusion, Medway wont't be fully LED for a while yet!
Solihull did a test phase of street lighting in a particular area back in 2012 to test different lights including a bunch of LED installations. Oddly these have now been replaced with new Mini Aspect LED lanterns which means the lifespan of the others was extremely short. There were also larger SON white light installations which have been replaced too across the Monkspath estate.
I struggle to find any lights in Solihull that are now not LED, the SON replacements for those lights which were replaced back in the 1998 PFI are the final ones being replaced at the moment.
Also a cast iron original lantern which was retro fitted with a lovely LED light was hit by a delivery truck and ripped down. It was very unique too and no doubt will be replaced with a plain pole.
