Street lights - good news!

[Ajohn]

Pass on the high pressure lamps but the low pressure variety actually melt and vaporize a small amount of sodium. A ballast much like a florescent light then forces current through the vapour and it gives off light. They do give of heat too just like an ordinary light bulb but more of the energy used actually generates light. Ordinary florescent lights do the same sort of thing with a gas in a the tube. This gives off a light that we can't make much use of but it causes the coating on the inside of the tube to give off light and that can be tuned to daylight and warm types etc.

I don't think that the high pressure ones that are now being fitted are as efficient but the light is a lot whiter. That's not so good for us because it's much more difficult to filter out and results in a lot more light loss. The orange type are much easier but for some reason filters that just removed that and nothing else disappeared of the market maybe 15 years ago not long after interference filters appeared on the market. Unfortunately I only bought an 1 1/4 one and they weren't available when I tried to order a 2ins.

On the guy with a problem light and paint not working try sending a registered letter complaining again and also threatening to involve your local mp. Send it to your council's public complaints department. You may even be able to do that over the web.

I'm surprised there has been no comments on my "street lighting needing a drastic rethink". Suppose most of you think it's always been like that. Me well gas lighting remained in use in some parts of B'ham well into the 50's so I've seen it evolve and have even know why it has gone the way it has. It's costly and all a bit dubious. All except the current change even caused a lot of flack in the press.

John

[Wedge]

Alex, I'm in Wooburn Green, just south of Beaconsfield.

Trev

I am very close to there!!

Does Wycombe District Council serve your area too?

[trevboyd]

I am very close to there!!

Does Wycombe District Council serve your area too?

Hi Wedge,

Yes, WDC serves my area, but not for lighting apaprently - that comes under BCC. When my email was forwarded to them, I was then told the lights on my road were the responsibility of the parish council - talk about red tape!

I had tried to contact BCC myself directly before and had no response - writing to specific councilors seemed to do the trick.

Trev

[Ant]

What would be an ideal paint to use on a street lamp.

Black obviously, but do they get hot etc and need radiator paint etc.

Seriously.

I'm coming to this thread quite late.

But for high temp paint what about exhaust paint - you can get it in Halfords I beleive. My mate used it to paint the outside of a drum BBQ, it didn't come off!

Ant

[Ajohn]

Although I must admit to "fixing" a street light with an air rifle when I was very very young I wouldn't advice a do it yourself job these days. Things get a lot more serious now. After my second "fix" they pointed out to my parents that they were fairly sure where the pellets had come from. These days any self fix is bound to result in court action. 8) Don't think that the air rifles are powerful enough now either.

You might wonder why I did that. Well all street lights used to go off at 11pm. Trouble was I was usually in bed by 10 at that age.

John

[dannyboy]

Although I must admit to "fixing" a street light with an air rifle when I was very very young I wouldn't advice a do it yourself job these days. Things get a lot more serious now. After my second "fix" they pointed out to my parents that they were fairly sure where the pellets had come from. These days any self fix is bound to result in court action. 8) Don't think that the air rifles are powerful enough now either.

You might wonder why I did that. Well all street lights used to go off at 11pm. Trouble was I was usually in bed by 10 at that age.

John

lol, I've considered this too, as I have two streetlights which shine into my garden. Probably not a good idea though, as with my limited sniping skills I'd probably end up taking out someone's tv aerial, or some endangered species of bird.

[Ajohn]

The history of street lighting might interest some.

As pointed out they all used to be turned off at 11PM. When I was older and out and about this wasn't usually much of a problem providing that there was at least a bit of moon. Some years later they decide to leave lights on at junctions. It's amazing how the light from a single street light carries. Residential areas were well lit by just doing that. It did reduce accidents too. Next main roads were lit in the same sort of fashion with several lights on islands. Done on the basis of accident reduction. Then came the mass orangey lighting we see today. Lots and lots of people didn't like it - can't see pedestrians under them if they happen to be wearing the wrong colour clothes, like driving into a black hole after leaving a particularly well lit section. Cost was another moan but the answer to that was very cut price electricity. I doubt if it is today. That has just spread and got more and more dense ever since. Next thing can now be seen in many places. These are high pressure sodium lights that give off a much whiter light and do direct it at the ground. Far more are used per mile too.

Personally from direct experience junction lighting is good for a variety of reasons. All the changes after that are dubious. After all a lot of people live without much street lighting at all. Some have none and others have the junction lighting I'm on about. In real terms there would be no problem switching the majority of lights off at some suitable time. There is also a knock on effect where the lighting levels are high. If some one want to use security lighting it has to be a lot lot brighter than that provided by the streets otherwise they don't stand out. For instance our place in Pembrokeshire is on a road about 200mtrs long. There is one street light in the middle and it gives more than adequate light to the entire road. There isn't any need for additional lighting but but a tree blocks the light to the front door. As it's dark all

I need is a 4watt low energy light bulb. That is also bright enough for neighbours to see if there are any prowlers about. Use that in B'ham and no one would even notice it. They don't even notice 500wat flood lights.

This might interest people too http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/starry-night/ Seems astronomers haven't got much interest. It's worth reading the reply too. White light really is bad news for all of us.

Also street lighting uses rather a lot of energy. Can't find the uk as a whole but this talks about Essex

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/street-lights-to-be-switched-off-at-midnight-to-save-energy-407985.html

The other interesting thing about the exodus of timed lights was that some one had to go around an check them. People also used to report faults. No need to compare the cost of the electricity against the cost of the people after all it isn't their money we just pay for it.

John

[Baskii]

That's interesting John - I don't recall street lights going out at eleven, so I guess it must have been before the mid-1970s (which is as far back as I can remember). I remember my street in east London having older lights than the later orange type though - they had a swan-like curved "neck" and they gave off a blue-whitish light. I don't know what kind of bulb they used though, and whether it would have been difficult to filter out.

I imagine there were some astronomers in the mid 70s positively enjoying the 3-day week blackouts and the reduction in LP that must have resulted!

[Ajohn]

Unfortunately I was scope less during the miners strike black outs. Many enjoyed it.

I grew up on a B'ham over spill estate moving there at the age of 6 in 1954. I would say it was some time around 1960 when a lights at junctions were left on and not many years after when they were all left on.

No doubt London would have been different. Birmingham was dead past 11pm for a long time. Mostly because the city was run by business people who wanted their workforce in bright and early. It is a fact though that a lot of the population still don't have what I would call excessive lighting. Unfortunately I would imagine that the governing bodies and the majority of people just can't imagine life with out it. Cars are equipped with adequate lighting and people can see and be seen in moonlight. At one point there was a campaign to get earlier generations to drive on dipped headlights. To a man(or woman) they couldn't see the point. Despite all of this the authorities latest aim seems to be to re create daylight over larger and larger areas. There is hope though. The sinking pound and rising cost of now imported energy may make things go in a totally different direction at some point. Trouble is it's our money they spend not theirs.

John

I still look the same in the mirror now as I did at 40. May have something to do with eyesight. Less hair came a lot more recently.

[thing]

I can remember in the early 60's using my Dad's friend's drawtube scope which gave stunning views (even with a cracked lens.) I think there was one street light on my street and a guy used to come around and light it every night. It was gas, I kid you not. I'm from a typical industrial north small town and I always remember the night views being magnificent. Mind you, bit different in Sheffield 50 years ago, you use to descend fom Chapeltown on a bright sunny day and by the time you had reached the steel works you could literally stare at the sun which was probably a little brighter than the full moon. Dreadful.