What do you guys make of this?

[nitram100]

Ken Livingstone is planning to switch the whole of London to LED lighting, it says on the below website "a welcome return of starry skies at night"

http://www.thelondonlight.org/

Here is the light they will be planning to use, which notes that it directs light towards the ground where it is needed and avoids glare.

http://www.lemnislighting.nl/pdf/lemnis_outdoor_lighting.pdf

Will LED lighting be much harder to block out using filters? If there is any glare?

Overall though, i'm pretty excited about this, coming from London i have to agree that the light pollution is disgusting, while it is needed for security reasons, the amount of light wasted is a joke.

Also, i find it quite funny that the model name of the new lamps are Sirius, the brightest star in the sky lol.

[beamish]

xlnt I shall be posting this link to the small minded Leeds City Council chappies ASAP

Karlo

[ENWOD]

Brilliant idea that, hopefully the rest of England will follow suit; don't understand why they aren't already really.

[Macavity]

Unfortunately they don't seem to provide the light curves (on the parent site) for the LEDs.

(They do for some others though...) That is UNLESS someone else can find these details.

[AndrewLincs]

Sounds good ..

Quote 'this LED lighting is modeled on the light of the moon and adapted to human night vision.'

Sounds Very interesting

Regards

Andrew

[radioactive]

Bring it on!!!

[beamish]

Bring it on!!!

Fancy a bit of a campaign Martyn ?? We could inundate them, pincer movement ,you from south me from the west.

[Xunil]

Is there anyone in SGL near the demo lights that fancy giving us an on-the-ground review?

[Tiny]

In the county paper one village installed lights in the car park and 'yobs' smashed them the first night! My reaction was wonder if they looked for any locals outside with scopes but, of course it could not be - could it.

The council say they will not replace the lights (yet) as the yobs may do it again.

[Wedge]

Also, i find it quite funny that the model name of the new lamps are Sirius, the brightest star in the sky lol.

Let's just hope that that i not the name of the only star visible when they are turned on

But seriously, I am very excited at this!!

Will it be the WHOLE of London which will be converted to LED?

HANG ON -------- I sware in the brochure about the lights, it is not a cut off bulb!?

Look at the picture on the last page of the PDF -

LIGHT IS GOING UP - INTO THE SKY!?

Please tell me I have gotten something really wrong, and they WILL cut down LP?

[David Galvin]

Sound like good news for astronomers.

I had a chat with our (Liverpool A.S) Campaign for Dark Skies rep and he has heard of these and talks of them favourably. He informed me that many councils, if they get access to the funds, are switching street lighting from old design lighting SOX & SON to LED which are brighter but well shielded against light spill above and sideways.

One City in Canada did this in 2005 and saved C$2 Million in energy usage costs in one year, LED technology also allows dimming to be used when streets and roads are under used. Say from 1am – dawn.

[Wedge]

I have heard about dimming. I think they are very low, but when somebody either drives past, or walks past, they brighten. Must be cool walking down the street like that

I am not sure if the London lights will do that, but it is very possible. I have made a similar device at school in Electronics.

Look at this: :shock:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23438248-details/Streetlights%20on%20M40%20motorway%20left%20on%20for%2024%20hours%20a%20day%20for%20FOUR%20months/article.do

[nitram100]

I was reading this article and get very annoyed at peoples negative reaction to it. There is no proof that street lights reduce crime or car accidents, so why are these people moaning? One lady complains and says "It's pitch black after midnight" Oh how i would love to have that problem

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=513528&in_page_id=1770

[Macavity]

It is rather amazing (This equating of street lighting / deep shadows with ABSENCE of crime) isn't it? The places I "watch my back" are notably well lit... amply provided with off-licences, take-aways, street-seating(!) etc. I suppose you might get the odd, old-style "burglar", equipped with a torch, stripey shirt and sack marked "Swag", but one does wonder...

The only "dark" (light?) side I can see is the apparent BROAD (unfilterable) white-light spectral characteristics?

[Oldeclipse]

In my neighbourhood most break-ins occur in the afternoon.

[Tiny]

Same out here in the Shire counties - yet the police seem not to notice this and recommend lights to combat crime.

[lunator]

Living in London I hope this does being tomake a difference.

I do know that the new lights on the South Circular near where I liver are well designed and do shine downwards.

The question in my mind is that the lighting in most of the roads is controlled by the local council and they have no plans to replace any lighting.

[timetraveller]

its not just street lights that need changing its all these scared people who keep installing all these 2kw security lights in their back gardens god they are such a pain my neighbour has one on the side wall of her house totaly uneccerssary every time i go into my back garden it lights up the whole of my garden, now where did i put my catapult

[thing]

As soon as I saw this thread I sent a link to the Chief Exec of Lincolnshire County Council asking him what his plans were. No reply as yet........

[acey]

Interested to hear the new lights are "modelled on the light of the moon". Er, that would mean "white", then.

[Darren B]

I have lived in an area in Bournemouth where they have installed these lights. The light is white and when walking along the street they are brighter than the standard orange ones. In this street there is a park, go into the park look above the lights and the sky is black and you can see the lights being shined downwards. I could not see any glare above these lights. I have heard that Dorset County Council want to replace every street light with the new type before 2009.

[Sam]

Darren, That's sounds quite encouraging. I hope other councils start picking up the pace as well.

[Xunil]

Darren, That's sounds quite encouraging. I hope other councils start picking up the pace as well.

I've made the suggestion to Devon County Council now

[nitram100]

I might just have to vote for Ken Livingstone on May 1st (never thought i would EVER say that!)