If lighting expert and Township resident Philip Alcone had his wish, there would be a lot more stars out at night for wishing. At the May 21 Township Committee meeting, Mr. Alcone gave a 30-minute presentation in recommendation of an ordinance to curb light pollution. He believes that poor outdoor lighting plans and unnecessary lighting in many residential areas not only brightens the night sky, but also wastes money.
I wonder what central New Jersey's own Thomas Edison would say? Certainly it wasn't his intention to stifle star-gazers when he started all of this. Many of Edison's inventions - phonograph, motion picture camera, as well as the electric light bulb - were "quality of life" inventions. And light pollution, like noise pollution, (and odor pollution?) is a quality of life issue.
Unfortunately for us, as much as we might like a night sky as dark as a Norwegian winter, dark streets are also a safety issue. At the meeting where Mr. Alcone made his presentation, Hillsborough police Lt. James McConnell spoke out against any reduction in lighting, as it would necessarily mean a reduction in safety for Township residents.
Nevertheless, the cost-savings component of the proposed "lights out!" ordinance is intriguing. We need to see more of what the plan would be - how much money could we save? how dark will it get? - before we can determine if it's time to "clap off".
And before we get too overwhelmed by our bright-nights, remember, Norway has a summer too.
Hi, Greg! Welcome to blog-land! And good luck with it.
ReplyDeleteI watched that presentation, which was really excellent. He wasn't proposing turning off street lights indiscriminantly, but rather dimming unnecessary or excessive lights (where many others are already in place) after a certain hour. Never at intersections or in areas not adequately lit to begin with.
The presenter also detailed how much the DESIGN of lights impacts residents quality of life, and this is something we were always trying to make developers cognizant of when they came before the planning board. Having the correct amount of light and having that light DIRECTED where it is needed is of paramount importance. Wasted flare serves no purpose and is often what negatively impacts residents.
The police officer made his first statement, saying that the department would not support such a move in any fashion, without considering the details of what was actually being proposed. When Mr. Drake pointed out how much the police department would be asked to oversee any changes in lighting, Officer McConnell modified his initial all-or-nothing stance.
I think this idea does have much merit and should be explored more fully. If nothing else, it would serve Hillsborough well to implement a street lighting ordinance post-haste.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOK - obviously I don't know how to get this thing to post and sign off. It keeps asking me to put something in this box. Adious.
ReplyDeleteThe Problem Is
ReplyDeleteThe controls on the current crop of street lights are simply set to turn on at dark and off at light, a simple photoeye. Changing these controls will be very costly as each street light would need to be retrofitted with new smarter controls.
I’m NOT saying I’m against this type of project, but I think the very first step would be to get a cost estimate to retrofit an existing street light with smarter controls, then compare that to see how much money and energy would be saved by reducing the amount of total time the light burns.
My guess would say (given the complexity of developing the controls and changing them at each light) the project would not be cost justifiable, but that just my guess. Perhaps Mr. Alcone, or Mr. Drake could shed some light on this subject --- No pun intended.
As far a light spilling outside of one’s property, I think we should have laws against that, given so many people just don’t seem to care what their lights light up now!
Val and 08844 - thank you for your comments. As I said in my original post, this is an intriguing idea that should be explored. And it's great to see new ideas like this being proposed.
ReplyDeleteA Note
ReplyDeleteI’m NOT much for regulations, but I do believe we need some regulations to ensure the safety of common things like air and water. We also need to start understanding that Darkness and Quiet are just as much as a God given common as fresh air and water. In my mind no one has the right to pollute my darkness or quiet, unless of course that disturbance is necessary to safety and well being.
Good Luck Blogging here Greg. I hope things work out for you better than the previous Blogger.
One more thing- I believe Drake indicated that such a move was intended to apply more to new construction rather than to retrofit what we already have.
ReplyDeleteYes, certainly specifying an effective lighting plan for future development is in our town's best interest.