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The ones they've installed in Islington are awful. The old orange ones had a charm about them. The new ones are cold and harsh. I don't understand why such a co

The ones they've installed in Islington are awful. The old orange ones had a charm about them. The new ones are cold and harsh. I don't understand why such a cool temp was picked.

goatinaboat 6y ago
I don't understand why such a cool temp was picked. Same as most government decisions. Some combination of "it was cheaper" and "I don't live there, it's for the plebs".
- b3kart 6y ago
  I'd use the Hanlon's razor [1] here. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
- obitoo 6y ago
  Quite a few members of the government do live in Islington
- Symbiote 6y ago
  Islington is the stereotypical place where MPs live/lived in London. Boris Johnson, Tony Blair, Jeremy Corbyn, Emily Thornberry, Margaret Hodge …
  - darrenf 6y ago
    To be fair: • Corbyn has been an MP for Islington South since 1983 • Thornberry is MP for Islington North since 2005 • Margaret Hodge was on Islington council for 21 years So I would say it's somewhat unfair to accuse it of being a stereotypical choice for them. They live(d) amongst their electorate.
    - Veen 6y ago
      Yes, but there in nevertheless a stereotypical "Islington Set". - https://the-politics.wikia.org/wiki/Islington_set https://the-politics.wikia.org/wiki/Islington_set
dylan604 6y ago
This is what I don't understand. Our phones have night modes where it moves the color temp away from blues. The fact seeminly knowbody in charge of exterior lighting has figured out the same thing boggles me. Also, the abundance of cheap nighlights that are "bright white" instead of a calming "warm" as LEDs have taken to calling themselves.
- mnw21cam 6y ago
  That bit is fairly easy to understand. Warm white (low colour temperature) LEDs aren't as efficient (they don't produce as bright a light for the same power input) as cold white (high colour temperature) lights. So if they just go down the options looking for the most efficient LED, that's what they will choose.
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  To be fair, phones do this to not interfere with your sleep when you use it late. When it comes to street lights, there's an argument to be made that you do want to interfere with/defer the sleep of anyone who's walking/driving outside. The problem of course is collateral damage to people's houses where street lighting leaks into their windows, but assuming this is mitigated, I think street lighting that intentionally defers sleepiness is better.
  - pgalvin 6y ago
    The issue is such lighting (blue) also makes your night vision far worse. They’re actually much more dangerous and have increased road traffic accidents where they have been installed. Warmer lighting seems to be worse, as it does not illuminate the target area as brightly, but it ensures your eyes can see further outside of the target area. White LED street lamp makes the road super clear, but messes up your night vision. You don’t see the pedestrian about to step in the road, then you hit them. Could have been averted with warmer, orange lights.
    - dylan604 6y ago
      Same goes for those cars with the bright white headlights as well. they are absolutely blinding for on-coming traffic

The ones they've installed in Islington are awful. The old orange ones had a charm about them. The new ones are cold and harsh. I don't understand why such a cool temp was picked.

goatinaboat 6y ago

I don't understand why such a cool temp was picked. Same as most government decisions. Some combination of "it was cheaper" and "I don't live there, it's for the plebs".

b3kart 6y ago
I'd use the Hanlon's razor [1] here. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor
obitoo 6y ago
Quite a few members of the government do live in Islington
Symbiote 6y ago
Islington is the stereotypical place where MPs live/lived in London. Boris Johnson, Tony Blair, Jeremy Corbyn, Emily Thornberry, Margaret Hodge …
- darrenf 6y ago
  To be fair: • Corbyn has been an MP for Islington South since 1983 • Thornberry is MP for Islington North since 2005 • Margaret Hodge was on Islington council for 21 years So I would say it's somewhat unfair to accuse it of being a stereotypical choice for them. They live(d) amongst their electorate.
  - Veen 6y ago
    Yes, but there in nevertheless a stereotypical "Islington Set". - https://the-politics.wikia.org/wiki/Islington_set https://the-politics.wikia.org/wiki/Islington_set

dylan604 6y ago

This is what I don't understand. Our phones have night modes where it moves the color temp away from blues. The fact seeminly knowbody in charge of exterior lighting has figured out the same thing boggles me. Also, the abundance of cheap nighlights that are "bright white" instead of a calming "warm" as LEDs have taken to calling themselves.

mnw21cam 6y ago
That bit is fairly easy to understand. Warm white (low colour temperature) LEDs aren't as efficient (they don't produce as bright a light for the same power input) as cold white (high colour temperature) lights. So if they just go down the options looking for the most efficient LED, that's what they will choose.
Nextgrid 6y ago
To be fair, phones do this to not interfere with your sleep when you use it late. When it comes to street lights, there's an argument to be made that you do want to interfere with/defer the sleep of anyone who's walking/driving outside. The problem of course is collateral damage to people's houses where street lighting leaks into their windows, but assuming this is mitigated, I think street lighting that intentionally defers sleepiness is better.
- pgalvin 6y ago
  The issue is such lighting (blue) also makes your night vision far worse. They’re actually much more dangerous and have increased road traffic accidents where they have been installed. Warmer lighting seems to be worse, as it does not illuminate the target area as brightly, but it ensures your eyes can see further outside of the target area. White LED street lamp makes the road super clear, but messes up your night vision. You don’t see the pedestrian about to step in the road, then you hit them. Could have been averted with warmer, orange lights.
  - dylan604 6y ago
    Same goes for those cars with the bright white headlights as well. they are absolutely blinding for on-coming traffic