Petition to regulate light pollution

[mapstar]

2 hours ago, astronymonkey said:

This is often a problem with these things going live without an implementation plan wrapped around it. It would have been good if all astro groups and nature groups, along with interested high profile people, were all made aware early on with some of the key people being made aware before the petition was posted.  People need a regular and consistent message to persuade them to sign up and telling them once isnt enough .... thats why companies show the same advert over ad over again for a number of months. Theres lots of theories around this, Kotters 8 step change model is a good starter for 10 ....

Cheers

As already said the astronomy community always seem to be on the back foot when it comes to promoting important issues such as this.

Over 2700 signatures since wednesday lets hope it keeps going.  

[Physopto]

Damian did you get the PMs

 

[astronymonkey]

Over 350 additional signatures in the last 24 hrs,

Slowly getting there !

[Physopto]

A clear night over Europe, c/o Tim Peake @ The International Space Station
Absolutely Fabulous? Or is it really fabulous? The picture is but in reality a real waste of energy and our views from Earth of the night sky are spoiled.   photo by Tim Peake.

[Hawksmoor]

On 11/05/2016 at 14:14, billyharris72 said:

Just noticed this on the Government's petitions website. Not exactly setting the internet alight, but put my signature down there anyway. Thought others might be interested.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/119428

Cheers,

Billy.

Thanks for the heads up. Have signed.

Cheers George

[Stub Mandrel]

Can anyone who has a twitter account message @astro_timpeake with the URL of the petition and a request to promote it?

 

Even if he doesn't the tweets will appear in his feed.

[Physopto]

I have posted on one of his feeds to Facebook about one hour ago. He may notice it.

Derek

[reddoss]

Signed

[RT65CB-SWL]

2900+ signed to date and mine is amongst them!

[Uplooker]

When I click on the various regions that I have emailed astro socs etc I am surprised that the numbers that have signed is not higher

[Physopto]

Just been on Facebook to friends and family. You never know, a few have already signed in the last hour.

[mapstar]

2 hours ago, Uplooker said:

When I click on the various regions that I have emailed astro socs etc I am surprised that the numbers that have signed is not higher

I am the same Ian? Really strange I cannot understand why they have not responded? 

[Uplooker]

Most of the groups I have contacted have come back to me and said that they had already seen it and have signed. That is certainly the case as I have seen evidence of this on the respective forums, but the numbers are just not as high as I would of thought / hoped.

[psamathe]

17 minutes ago, Uplooker said:

Most of the groups I have contacted have come back to me and said that they had already seen it and have signed. That is certainly the case as I have seen evidence of this on the respective forums, but the numbers are just not as high as I would of thought / hoped.

I wonde rif a lot of people see it, sign it and that's it - done and finished.  I think people need to spread the word more, get friends and family to sign, pass it around, etc.  It's only through having it spread around that it stands any chance of going anywhere.

Ian

[johnrt]

I think a large part of the issue is that outside of this niche hobby, which has a fairly small active base, this is not something that the average person wants. They are misguided that the more light we throw around the safer the world is after dark.

[Physopto]

Well in some places more light is helpful, especially to the female sex in lonely places. But I agree the evidence is now pointing to removal of light around housing as it helps burglars to see and is not aparently a deterent!

 

[johnrt]

21 minutes ago, Physopto said:

Well in some places more light is helpful, especially to the female sex in lonely places.

 

I couldn't agree more, my wife often has to walk home from the station as I work evenings & nights, and would I be comfortable with her walking 1 mile in the dark in winter down unlit main & side roads? No way!

But by the same token when I drive home in-between 1:00 - 3:30am down rural country A roads and find houses & businesses with flood lights lighting up their gardens / yards and the road passing their houses I get annoyed, it is often the case that they are making driving conditions more dangerous, poorly directed lights in to the faces of oncoming traffic isn't doing anyone any favours? But does anyone complain, nope, they all think it;s great!

[Physopto]

I was under the impession that that was actually against the Law, shining any light onto a public road so as to blind or cause vision imparment to a driver. I know loads do it. I have house lights but aimed down so as not to caus eproblems for anybody including neighbours. They are mainly switched off now.

[johnrt]

1 minute ago, Physopto said:

I was under the impession that that was actually against the Law, shining any light onto a public road so as to blind or cause vision impairment to a driver.

I'm not sure, but I imagine that would make sense for it to be so. There is even 1 house I pass every night that has installed their own Victorian style street lamp on the edge of the garden to illuminate the road which is a particular pain. There is no pavement, their wall is at the edge of the road!

[Physopto]

No accounting for taste of wasted money I suppose!

Does not help our hobby much though!

[happy-kat]

Irrespective of hobby it is damaging to our sleep and wildlife. Lights on is a perceived safety with a massive dullop of the placebo effect. Give it 15 years and I think we'll see a reversal of the light plague.

If I need to be out and it is dark it is my responsibility to make sure I can see and be seen if I want. 

[Jonk]

33 minutes ago, johnrt said:

I'm not sure, but I imagine that would make sense for it to be so. There is even 1 house I pass every night that has installed their own Victorian style street lamp on the edge of the garden to illuminate the road which is a particular pain. There is no pavement, their wall is at the edge of the road!

I always thought light pollution, noise pollution, water pollution etc. were all in the same boat with respect to the law?

[Physopto]

25 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Irrespective of hobby it is damaging to our sleep and wildlife.

There was a study done some time ago apparently concerning children  up to the age of about 18 months I think, could be a bit older not sure! But it specifically mentioned the need for absolute darkness for them during sleep. Apparently the eyes develop even during sleep if there is any light stimulation. Even through closed eyelids! So parents were warned about even having night lights. Did not matter how dim they were. It causes irreparable harm. Saw this about 4 or 5 years ago somewhere.

Here are some similar links.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-47OlvOHMAhUpLcAKHZ2oDxkQFgguMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fentertainment%2Farts%2Fyour-childs-phone-and-tablet-could-be-harming-their-eyes-expert-warns%2Fnews-story%2Fc91174a8dcd55d0e70f0836144a403c5&usg=AFQjCNEkTC2ULaPwkQBD5T1HCPCL1uIo0A

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-47OlvOHMAhUpLcAKHZ2oDxkQFggkMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC1115762%2F&usg=AFQjCNGCQF_8tKIigm0fbkcLl2lBVQswpA

 

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi-47OlvOHMAhUpLcAKHZ2oDxkQFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fhealth%2F342256.stm&usg=AFQjCNFsgBhXjheKExI7ud1YxkKnvGCjzg

 

[Physopto]

8 minutes ago, Jonk said:

I always thought light pollution, noise pollution, water pollution etc. were all in the same boat with respect to the law?

The Law is a bitter minefield from what I can see. But to be honest I do not really want to follow down this path as it may be regarded as political and not within the remit of this forum posts.

Derek

[psamathe]

40 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Irrespective of hobby it is damaging to our sleep and wildlife. Lights on is a perceived safety with a massive dullop of the placebo effect. Give it 15 years and I think we'll see a reversal of the light plague.

If I need to be out and it is dark it is my responsibility to make sure I can see and be seen if I want. 

I would agree.  I don't see the arguments about safety because even with street lighting there are still loads of dark corners.  Safety comes from the fact that the vast majority of the population are descent honest people not from the fact that we throw light everywhere.  In fact you could make an argument saying that lighting a street highlights somebody walking and probably makes it easier for people to identify their gender, etc.

Ian