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Too Bright Lights, Big City


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New LED streetlights are way too bright, and have cold harsh light. The new ones on my street give the place the look and feel of a Wal-Mart parking lot at 2 am.

 

Before city council.

 

(I am not the person in the KUHF piece).

 

http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2016/02/08/136878/city-waiting-for-more-information-on-alternative-led-street-lights-as-some-call-for-change/

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I'm actually outraged that someone's preference in color and brightness is trying to sway city council over everyone else's opinion as well. You know what, I like that I can see my car in my driveway now. The new LED lights are great.

 

 

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Where have these been installed in the Heights?  I am out running in the dark every morning and have not noticed anything.  A lot of the old lights are way too dim and leave very dark spots here and there.  But I would not want the Walmart parking lot appearance either.

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I'm actually outraged that someone's preference in color and brightness is trying to sway city council over everyone else's opinion as well. You know what, I like that I can see my car in my driveway now. The new LED lights are great.

I think the LED lights are horrible. They look so sterile and harsh. I can see my car just fine with the warm yellow lights and my blinds don't need to be squeezed shut.

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The LED lights are creating less light pollution now that the light is directed toward the ground and not out. My third floor bedroom window receives far less unwanted light now. Also, the cityscape looks so much cleaner at night. Driving down major roads with the orange sodium vapor lights meant staring at hundreds of glowing orbs. Now, it's a glare-free drive. Maybe Centerpoint can just put a light diffuser on lamps that are in front of these precious homes.

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Where have these been installed in the Heights?  I am out running in the dark every morning and have not noticed anything.  A lot of the old lights are way too dim and leave very dark spots here and there.  But I would not want the Walmart parking lot appearance either.

 

LOL at "I would not want the Walmart parking lot appearance."  They used the magic words to sway you.

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Look how much BS this is. Ohhh, I want my stop sign yellow. Ohhh, I want asphalt roads over concrete. Who cares what you prefer. This is a multi-million dollar contract that brightens the streets, reduces the power consumption, and lowers the overall costs. I am so fed up with this Nextdoor Heights crowd that I'm going to create my own Change.org petition this afternoon and share it everywhere. I've heard so much support for these lights (could even be 50/50 hate and like it) that I'm not going to allow some lawyer that misses his yellow darker hue. And who does this lawyer point to that took down the lights? One location in California out of hundreds of thousands of towns across the US.

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Look how much BS this is. Ohhh, I want my stop sign yellow. Ohhh, I want asphalt roads over concrete. Who cares what you prefer. This is a multi-million dollar contract that brightens the streets, reduces the power consumption, and lowers the overall costs. I am so fed up with this Nextdoor Heights crowd that I'm going to create my own Change.org petition this afternoon and share it everywhere. I've heard so much support for these lights (could even be 50/50 hate and like it) that I'm not going to allow some lawyer that misses his yellow darker hue. And who does this lawyer point to that took down the lights? One location in California out of hundreds of thousands of towns across the US.

 

It's all over the nextdoor Bellaire / Meyerland page too. I prefer the brighter LEDs as well, but the amount of brainwashing going on make refuting their "facts" impossible 

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LOL at "I would not want the Walmart parking lot appearance."  They used the magic words to sway you.

 

It has been years.  Grow up and move on.  Everyone else has.

 

Can someone please give a street name where there are LEDs in the Heights?  

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Good. I was going to ask you where you got your hair cut at...

 

I haven't seen any new lights, but I look forward to them. I have to park on the street if I get home late, and although I never feel in danger it would nice to see what I'm doing.

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LEDs have been installed in Riverside and I love them. My front yard is lit at night (helpful for seeing who's walking through), no upward glare (you can especially notice this in foggy conditions when the beam cutoff angles are more visible), and it just looks modern and crisp.

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They're installed along White Oak, at least between Studewood and Watson, as well as on a number of other streets in Woodland Heights.  

 

Thanks.  I had not even noticed the change.  The new lights are brighter and better.  The old lights made everything yellow and the visibility was not good.  The only issue with the new lights is that the glare is very strong when you look right at them.  The bulb is exposed with no cover.  It would look better with a cover that would soften the light a little.  But that is being pretty picky.  I did see one street (Key?) had a set of the gas lamp street lights with a horizontal row of LED bulbs.  They took out the little windows so that it was just the metal frame and the bulbs.  The gas lamp style lights are closer to eye level.  The glare is hard to avoid and the lights look terrible with only the metal frame and a row of bulbs.  In general, the LEDs are better, but there is room for improvement.

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The only issue with the new lights is that the glare is very strong when you look right at them.  The bulb is exposed with no cover.  It would look better with a cover that would soften the light a little. 

 

Agreed.  

 

A cover could also diffuse the light a bit, spreading it more side to side.  The distinct cutoff of the light pattern on the street from the one above the Michaux / Norhill intersection looks for all the world like the reflection of the headlights of a car stopped on Michaux.  This could become an issue if people get in the habit of perceiving it that way, and then get surprised by an actual car there doing something unexpected (for those unfamiliar with the neighborhood, the sight lines on that corner are really poor).

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Here is a solution: Don't look at the light folks. Close Thread.  :P

 

 

Growing up in this neighborhood, I always remembered how dim the streets were. I walked home a lot at night. Cant do this now, I might get a picture taken or constable on my butt. I like the LED's so far. 

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I noticed last night that they've replaced almost all of the street lights on Lawrence and Nicholson between 22nd and 610 plus some other random places north of 22nd.  They look fine to me.  It's definitely different, whiter instead of the yellow/orange, but not too bright.  Anyway, those are a couple of places where people can see for themselves.

 

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You would be surprised. 

1. It doesn't take much to deter petty crime, especially when it comes to youngsters and novices.

2. If people even feel a little safer and do more walking and create a better street presence, the neighborhood will get safer over time

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You would be surprised. 

1. It doesn't take much to deter petty crime, especially when it comes to youngsters and novices.

2. If people even feel a little safer and do more walking and create a better street presence, the neighborhood will get safer over time

 

Precisely.

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LEDs are at 4000K which is supposed to emulate moonlight. Fair enough. Its aesthetic, after decades of organgey lights, I'm getting used to it.

 

Its the intensity that is a bother, depending on your setback, other lighting, etc. In the industry literature, they even mention that brighter lights result in heavier shadowing.

 

I would prefer the moonlight towers like in Austin, but alas, low, minimal-shadow lighting is a thing of the past.

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