The new LED street lights that began brightening up Barron Park in the last month have not been too popular.\u00a0 Here are some of the comments that have come in:<\/p>\n
\u201c I was shocked when I went out last night to deposit my refuse containers at the curb for collection.\u00a0 The city has been busy stealthily changing out some of our existing soft white street lamps with daylight LED street lamps that are so bright they almost blind you and are certainly appear capable of impacting the safety of night driving by making the shadows much deeper and much blacker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese very bright, very white lamps completely destroy the character and ambience of my neighborhood and diminish it to that of a commercial parking lot. I am frankly dismayed that our City Council would approve of such a tasteless project.\u00a0 I suspect they just never looked at it thoughtfully before giving it a “thumbs up”.<\/p>\n
And from another resident:<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like there’s an obnoxious spotlight shining into my bedroom and the entire street is lit up now. The score is: Light pollution 1, Stars 0.<\/p>\n
They just don’t seem to jive with our vision of what we want the neighborhood to be\u2026. They don’t fit very well with the rural atmosphere we’ve tried to maintain here. It’s seems a little like my bedroom is now in the middle of a car dealership!\u201d<\/p>\n
And from a resident in another neighborhood:<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you noticed a change in the light coming into your windows or onto your sidewalks?\u00a0 No, that is not a new moon or the Shuttle but another addition to our neighborhood by the CPA Utilities dept.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my area at least CPA has replaced the existing orange colored street lighting with new LED low frequency lights that are very white.\u00a0 They run at a lower frequency and therefore use less energy but have a lighting angle over 170 degrees.\u00a0 In my case at least, that allows them to shine into my windows at night.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have asked City Manager Jim Keene to have his group replace the deflectors (partial shades) that we had on the previous lights, but his contact has indicated that they are busy addressing other inputs (complaints) from residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City\u2019s Utilities Communications Manager sent out this email to explain the street lights:<\/p>\n
Following last year\u2019s project using federal stimulus funds to install 600 LED streetlights along El Camino and Alma, the Utilities Department has embarked on a multi-year project to replace all the old streetlights throughout the City.\u00a0 The first few thousand new LED street lights have been installed and people may be noticing! \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n What\u2019s going on? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n CPAU is now in the process of installing LED streetlights throughout Palo Alto. No neighborhood was \u201csingled out\u201d to get the new streetlights, but construction is in stages. It will take several years before we can get streetlights replaced in all neighborhoods.\u00a0 To read more and see a map of which neighborhoods are scheduled when, visit <\/em>www.cityofpaloalto.org\/utilityprojects<\/em><\/a> \u00a0(Note\u2014This map shows Barron Park getting the LED lights in 2014, so it\u2019s not clear why they are showing up here.<\/em><\/p>\n Did the City ever ask the public if they wanted LED streetlights? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, we sure did! Originally, a pilot program was run where LED streetlights were installed in various areas around town and the public was invited to comment on them. (The notice of this pilot and the opportunity for public comment was issued through several articles in the local media, the city website, the Utilities bill messages and on signs posted in the areas where the pilot streetlights were installed). The feedback from the public who responded was generally positive, and, so, with the aid of a federal grant under the stimulus program, the first phase involved installing LED streetlights along Alma and the El Camino Real. The next phase was to start installing the lights in neighborhoods around town.<\/em><\/p>\n What are the benefits of LED streetlights?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n 40% lower electric use than less efficient older high-pressure sodium [HPS] lamps.<\/em><\/p>\n Saves ratepayer dollars<\/em><\/p>\n Is better for the environment<\/em><\/p>\n 30% lower maintenance costs because LED lights don\u2019t need to be replaced as often.<\/em><\/p>\n Bright direct light increases visibility and discourages illicit activity.<\/em><\/p>\n What can be done for people who find the LED streetlights too bright? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n