Help required to sort out streetlight issues - please check.

[emadmoussa]

Hi,

Today the local Council will raise the issue of the new street lights. We managed to push this on the agenda after a couple of months of pursuing. I’m trying to raise more awareness of light pollution and how streetlights are affecting astronomy and wild life.

I’d appreciate it if members who managed to get their local council to fit a physical shield to their streetlights let me know in few words what happened. Also, an image or two will be very great. We will take these notes/photos as further proof and a means to escalate pressure. The councillor requested that.

P.S. Please this is a thread to collect info for the cause, not to discuss how awful streetlights -we all know they suck. I need quick notes and photos please! 

PM me if you want to speak privately. Thanks! 

Thank you very much!

Emad

[emadmoussa]

Or, if you know somebody who had their streetlight shielded. If you have shielded ones in your area, please contribute some photos. Thanks!

[Stevp]

Hi emad, nothing I can help with but hope it goes well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stargazer33]

Managed to get the council to shield both these lights. They then kept moving them as people complained it was too dark. Now they have removed the shields completely!!!

This one is on the opposite side of a wide road and I can read a magazine by it in my back garden 80 metres from the lamp post!

This is the back of the light nearest to our bungalow.

HTH

[emadmoussa]

Apparently not much success on the part of local astronomers...

[Dave]

I have been trying for well over 5 years now to do something about the street lights shining way over into my back garden from the other side of the road at the front of our house.
Despite me sitting down and showing him plans about the problem, it has made no difference to their attitude and they have done very little to help.

I think the problem is that they cannot comprehend why someone wouldn't want any light shining on them ("Isn't it safer to be lit up" they say!).

The lights were recently changed for dimmer ones, but they are a whiter colour now, so could be more of a problem to filter out.
I'll know more this coming Autumn when my astrophotography becomes more active.

So I wish you all the very best of luck with this. It will be interesting to hear your experience as you progress.

Dave

[barkis]

There must be situations of light intrusion, that the victim can remedy him/herself.

Erecting a tarp to block off the light does not seem a difficult task to accomplish.

A simple arrangement can be constructed I'm sure, Two braced poles of sufficient height to block the offending lamp,

and the sheet could be drawn up the poles by ropes around a pulley at the top of each pole.

Ties every foot or so on each pole, to keep it from billowing out would suffice.

Of course any substantial wind would scupper the chance of using the blind, but there will be opportunities availabl;e.

It isn't always windy, unless you live close to the sea maybe .

Tarp sheets are not expensive to buy in the likes of Lidl and or Aldi stores. And others of course.

Sometimes it does you good to stop whinging about a problem, and sort it yourself,  and without resorting to

illegal means either.

The above may well be a more suitable action for Observers,

Imagers may need to resort to filters to negate intrusive lighting, although I'm sure they are aware of that, 

without the need for me to tell them :smiley: .

Ron.

[emadmoussa]

I'm starting to think the best option is a hoodie, and surround your observing area with some sort of screen. The problem is my light is very high and a total pain in the ....

[philhas]

My council painted the lens on the one outside our house however the paint has now been taken off no doubt because someone moaned it was too dark. The only reason I managed to get this done in the first place is because it shines in one of our bedroom windows (the old story they replaced the original lamp with one on a higher pole). The one at the back which shines into our back garden even though it is 100 meters away they won't touch as its across a road from us, thankfully my tree's in summer now blot most of the light from this one out with the expense of loosing a bit of southerly sky. In the winter its like being floodlit from a football stadium. The lights I thought were LED bulb units are I think actually cfl light bulbs producing a white light this link shows the light units we have http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-tyneside-council-save-cash-6298859 You can see the problem is the bulb is tilted towards the road and the head is at a slight angle meaning the light throw across the road is huge and just keeps going much the same as Bryan's photo above, of course the benefit is less sky glow but more direct light polution. With regards to the article I haven't noticed them being dimmed yet so fingers crossed this will happen.

[emadmoussa]

this is the lame shield they fitted...

Anyways, back to the topic.

[Dave]

There must be situations of light intrusion, that the victim can remedy him/herself.

Erecting a tarp to block off the light does not seem a difficult task to accomplish.

A simple arrangement can be constructed I'm sure, Two braced poles of sufficient height to block the offending lamp,

and the sheet could be drawn up the poles by ropes around a pulley at the top of each pole.

Ties every foot or so on each pole, to keep it from billowing out would suffice.

Of course any substantial wind would scupper the chance of using the blind, but there will be opportunities availabl;e.

It isn't always windy, unless you live close to the sea maybe .

Tarp sheets are not expensive to buy in the likes of Lidl and or Aldi stores. And others of course.

Sometimes it does you good to stop whinging about a problem, and sort it yourself,  and without resorting to

illegal means either.

The above may well be a more suitable action for Observers,

Imagers may need to resort to filters to negate intrusive lighting, although I'm sure they are aware of that, 

without the need for me to tell them :smiley: .

Ron.

I thoroughly agree with you Ron, despite my experience with my local lighting department.

I have learned how to live with the situation and work my way round them.

Despite the presence of the lights I am constantly amazed what I can achieve from my location.

I'm certainly not going to let it spoil my hobby.

My best option at the moment seems to be getting a free-standing basketball hoop and attaching a wider baffle and set it up to block out the light in that direction.

This shouldn't flap about quite as much as a tarp and would be easier to put in place and pack away.

Dave

[barkis]

There are always ways and means Dave. I know not everyone is adept with a screwdriver and a saw, or any other tool for that matter,

but wasting good time bellyaching to an intransigent Council will only lead to angry frustration.

I do know of a couple of cases where pleas to their local plan makers have bore fruit, but on the whole,

they are far too busy planning their next  round of meetings, at home, and in particular in Europe.

And if my last remark seems cynical, it was intended.

I do have sympathy for those who are hammering on Town Hall doors in vain, but when the penny drops guys, get your own

tools out, and that is not intended to be rude, honest. Look, no Smiley.

Ron.

[emadmoussa]

This is the conclusion I'm reaching - I'll keep the legal front open. But will start setting up my own physical solutions at least before Autumn.

[Bukko]

Hi, Emad,

the "Lame shield" fitted to your lamp looks better then the similar one fitted near me. I have been looking hard to find a card reader, to upload a couple of pix, but it looks like the kid's have pilfered all the readers and cables...

A couple of years ago, I buried a clothes line spike and built a big screen to blank out stray light; it worked well, but I need to re-build it because the new lamps are another couple of feet taller. It was actually pretty successful, but I gather your lamp is much closer than mine is, so is probably causing a lot more of a problem.

I did ask our council to shield the lamp and they did, but before asking them, I checked with my neighbour if he would object if I asked for the screen. As he was happy and only his house would be affected, I was sure no complaint would surface. Anyway, as the shield is basically the same as yours, only smaller and basically, just small round disks. It was quite a while after fitting that I realised they had even done it. Totally ineffective, as the little disks only shield directly behind the lamp and not to any other angle.

If you want extra resources, the Campaign for dark Skies website has quite a lot and also some well constructed arguements to share with your local council

I am only a couple of years away from retiring and dark skies in foreign lands looks very attractive...

Good luck with your crusade

Gordon.

[ChrisEdu]

I'm still waiting for SSE to fit shields to the THREE lights that surround my property, although there may well be others in the street that cause problems. The lights are so bright that, like others,  I can read by their light when in my garden.

I'd love someone to try a legal challenge via human rights and the need for darkness in order to be healthy.

[emadmoussa]

Happy with the result...the garden is much darker without a nasty direct glare...

[ChrisEdu]

I had a look at my problem lights today and found two had had the back part of the lens painted black and one had had the internal baffles fitted. Somehow, I doubt any of these measures will be sufficient to stop the glare and light flooding into my garden.