3 ms·
> why are we still wasting so much energy, and impacting wildlife, and hurting millions of people's circadian rhythms, blasting streets with light all night? F
by derefr 4y ago
> why are we still wasting so much energy, and impacting wildlife, and hurting millions of people's circadian rhythms, blasting streets with light all night?
For pedestrians?
(I agree with your reasoning as it applies to highways, but most of the world's light pollution from overhead street lighting comes from lighting done either 1. within dense cities, or 2. within industrial complexes — in both cases to aid people walking around outside at night.)
- smolder 4y agoBright night time lighting is often installed here as "security lighting". Meaning the bright light is primarily there to make people uncomfortable and not commit crimes. The pink-orange glow of sodium bulbs was so nice and inviting compared to all these daylight blue parking lot projectors. I wish I lived somewhere where outdoor lighting needed a permit and the issuing authority rejected everything above X lumens or Y color temperature.
- elric 4y agoAs a pedestrian, I'd be much happier with a LOT LESS light at night. Though I have to admit that the overhead street lights aren't my biggest concerns (except for the newer awful white/blue LEDs). Car headlights are what really piss me off. Heck, even tail lights can blind me at night.
- mgaunard 4y agoI actually find that my visibility on highways is worse for the parts that are illuminated by streetlights than for the parts that are only illuminated by my car. I've found for example that it's extremely dangerous to go beyond 180kmh (110 mph) at night whenever there are street lights, while it's sort of ok if you just have side mirrors on the highway reflecting your own lights (not that I recommend to anyone to drive at such high speeds, especially in low visibility conditions).