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They replaced the old lighting with white LEDs on my block a couple months ago. First off, it actually makes it MORE difficult to see (now that the trees have
by cauterized 10y ago
They replaced the old lighting with white LEDs on my block a couple months ago.
First off, it actually makes it MORE difficult to see (now that the trees have leaves) than the orange light did. The LEDs are so much brighter that the contrast makes the shadows even deeper than they used to be, and your eyes can't see anything that's in shadow.
Secondly, it makes it much more difficult to sleep. My windows are ABOVE the lights (which face downwards), and it's like trying to sleep in daylight. I can't imagine what it's like on the floors below. My sleep has definitely suffered.
- MichaelGG 10y agoWhy are streetlights shining up anyways? I see these curved glass installations everywhere. The light shines way above street level. At a minimum, this seems like a waste of energy, let alone the annoyance. In residential areas particularly, they should be very tightly constrained. And output adjusted to aid in night vision, not attempting to provide full lighting.
- cauterized 10y agoI couldn't agree more that more attention should be paid to where the lights shine and how they affect night vision, but they don't even have to direct any light upwards to make It bright enough to affect sleep on the floors above. Even with all the light emitted downwards, a narrow street with bright and closely spaced streetlights means that there's enough reflection off pavement, cars, building facades and windows, etc. that a huge amount of light is reflected back above the lamp. Depending on where you and the trees are relative to the lamp, the leaves may lessen or exacerbate the effect. And overcast nights make it even worse because you get a second dose of reflection (from the entire metro area, much of which has been similarly "upgraded" to Hollywood interrogation spotlights... I mean, LED streetlights.) It's not as if anyone was claiming this neighborhood was dangerous or scary to walk in at night. If I wanted to live in Times Square I'd live in Times Square.
- 21 10y agoI also noticed the shadow problem. And with some fixtures, the shadow itself can have a strange pixelated look - https://i.imgur.com/e0nReZ8.jpg https://i.imgur.com/e0nReZ8.jpg At the same time, the city looks much more beautiful to me under LED lighting.
- cauterized 10y agoWow, that's an unpleasant effect!