Street lights

[Bigbob]

We just got our street lights replaced and it seemed to take a while there was a different crew for everything and the second lot didn't seem to start till the first lot had done all the scheme same with the 3rd and 4th set and 5th set of workers , With the old lights it was very bright when you looked out at night , now when you look out its like your looking out on a frosty night with these led lights 

[BobbyH]

I prefer the old orange lights, growing up with them was that old saying, when the lights came on you went home after being out playing as a child.

Plus, lying in bed at night, I found the dim orange glow kind of warming and calming 

[ditchman]

Bloody light polution....far too many street lights

[wisdom]

42 minutes ago, ditchman said:

Bloody light polution....far too many street lights

Quite right and with modern vehicle lights why are they on after 12.could they not be alternate ones lit just think how much that would save each town.

[ph5172]

I find the new led type very directional. 
bright as a spotlight directly under but they throw no light at all unlike the old orange ones or to some extent the old white motorway junction lamps. 

1 hour ago, wisdom said:

Quite right and with modern vehicle lights why are they on after 12.could they not be alternate ones lit just think how much that would save each town.

Ours go off at midnight on weekdays and 2am I think Friday and Saturday nights. 

[ShootingEgg]

Tell all the people mugged that we should be turning them off or removing them .  Just a thought... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[oowee]

Many of the larger places now have chosen to turn them off. It saves a fortune and no impact on street crime or road accidents so long as strategic thoroughfares are protected. For Milton Keynes we had a week of debate on the subject before switching them off followed by monitoring. 

[London Best]

Alternate lights switch off overnight in our village. Dunno what time, I’m in bed.

[Bigbob]

If you look out at night instead of bright lights its a warm glow more appealing i suppose

[Cornish lad]

Our entire village street lights down here in Good old Cornwall are now turned off midnight till 5am in the winter ,only the newest housing estate with solar street lights come on  I personally prefer it  that way 

[Miserableolgit]

No street lights in the nearest village and certainly none out here in the wilds, just a subtle glow on the horizon from Norwich miles away.

[JohnfromUK]

I imagine they have a 'deal' on electricity costs and are not in fact all that expensive to run.

Expensive to install and maintain, but not to run because (a) electricity should be very cheap at night and (b) the rather 'harsh' light or even the old orange light was the downside of having very high efficiency (compared to more 'gentle' hue light).   Sodium lights (the orange light type) were pretty efficient, but LEDs are even better.

Electricity at night is relatively still cheap as some types of generation (mainly nuclear and wind) happily run at full output through the night, whereas gas stations can be reduced in output at a saving in fuel usage.

Where I live all the street lights were removed (as were all of the iron fences and gates my house used to have) during the war to use the iron/steel and they have not yet (apart form my gates) been replaced.

[old man]

On 12/07/2024 at 19:51, ditchman said:

Bloody light polution....far too many street lights

Yep.

[BobbyH]

On 13/07/2024 at 10:51, Miserableolgit said:

No street lights in the nearest village and certainly none out here in the wilds, just a subtle glow on the horizon from Norwich miles away.

I used to live in a village called Buxton, and it has no street lights, and all we could we was the orange glow of Norwich!

[DUNKS]

When I was a kid out playing we went home when we saw the guy with his long stick with a hook going round turning the gas lights on!

Local council recently converted the lights on a mile long stretch of road then turned them all of for power saving.

[enfieldspares]

Here's the thing. Which applied to street lights and car headlamps. Originally these were both designed to create silhouette of objects or pedestrians at the side of the road. As a silhouette is easier to see a thing on the side of the road at night than trying to fully illuminate a thing as by trying to fully illuminate a thing it blends in with everything else you are trying to fully illuminate. Modern street lights and modern headlamps mean that intended effect is now lost. 

[marquesgriffin]

Replacing street lights usually involves several specialized crews. One crew removes the old lights, another installs new poles, and others handle electrical work and testing. This step-by-step process ensures everything is done correctly but can take some time.

The new LED street lights look different because they produce a cooler, whiter light. This makes the area look like a frosty night compared to the old lights, which were likely warmer and brighter. LEDs are designed this way to provide good illumination while reducing glare and light pollution.