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ordinance has been updated regularly, most recently in 1992. It
<br /> is short and simple and uses ample graphics.
<br /> Its unique feature is that it controls glare and light trespass
<br /> by regulating the height of the luminaire (light fixture) and its
<br /> setback from the property line. The height of the luminaire may
<br /> be increased to 25 feet as it moves away From the property line.
<br /> In conjunction with this, a full cut-offshade, which allows no
<br /> direct light above a horizontal plane, is required for light over a
<br /> certain degree of brightness. According to Talmadge, this
<br /> system is easier and cheaper to enforce than the more conven-
<br /> tional method of regulating glare by measuring footcandles (a
<br /> standard measurement of illumination over a surface area of one
<br /> square foot), which requires the enforcement officer to be
<br /> equipped with expensive light-calibrating instruments.
<br /> Talmadge is one of the many lighting professionals who feel
<br /> strongly that, in the interests of security, most communities
<br />
<br /> · " -ai~ require too much brightness.
<br /> · ' ~,.-.'~]{ This results in dazzling glare,
<br /> Commumties lack~cF'-il which ,s tn ,tself unsafe.
<br /> full-s¢otedidhtina" 'I Kennebunkport has found its
<br /> · ions still' t"d'r ft "!incandescent lighting
<br /> JO . . . !: 5r/~, -- i economically viable because it
<br /> provIsIOtlS~: ~ ~t. keeps the wattage low.
<br /> · motorlstg'atl Although the original
<br />i l~edesrrian~ltrom thy/'i decision to retain
<br />i.:t o r" cl, :Of iincandescent light,ng still
<br />· i'" re.atr,$ Ici'l] hi ,--~'~"g'~l~ ~: :!h°lds' ..... the possibility of LPS
<br />
<br />i ',~ i~ ., ~ ' : f ..-;" i lmtncbentralNlalnc
<br />i r/o prg erty po, er Company. Talmadge
<br />M3-':~--~,~.,~5~'I': t'5'. .~:" .--'~,~ [emt~hasizes that 35-watt LPS
<br />i_ _t.~ ~u,' :~.:.~ ?.- _~ lam'ps provide good light.
<br />Most utility companies disagree, but Talmadge feels that a
<br />dialogue on this subject can be productive.
<br /> Tucson. In 1972, Tucson passed the first light pollution
<br />code in the nation. It has undergone regular revisions, most
<br />recently in 1994. In 1974, Pima County produced a virtually
<br />identical ordinance, and many other Arizona communities have
<br />adopted all or part of this code. The ordinance prohibits
<br />mercury-vapor lighting altogether and HPS and quartz lighting
<br />for most outdoor uses. Uplighting on billboards is also banned
<br />in some areas; in others, ir must be turned offbetween 11 p.m.
<br />and sunrise. It also prohibits searchlights and laser-source lights
<br />for outdoor advertising. Lighting for parking lots and sports
<br />facilities must be fully shielded so that no light is emitted above
<br />a horizontal plane. LPS lighting, which is essentially all one
<br />color, has been adopted throughout the community.
<br /> The proximity of the Kitt Peak National Observatory
<br />influenced the development of this ordinance. The telescopes in
<br />use in observatories cannot filter out the broad-band lighting in
<br />HPS, and astronomers have successfully argued against its use in
<br />surrounding communities. They prefer the monochromatic
<br />lighting of LPS, which the telescopes can filter out.
<br /> Kansas City, Missouri. Like many cities across the nation,
<br />Kansas City is phasing out its mercury-vapor lighting in favor of
<br />more efficient HPS streetlights. Last fall, the city and Kansas City
<br />Power and Light Company initiated a Neighborhood Streetlight
<br />Demonstration Project in two neighborhoods in an attempt to
<br />determine the best kind of lighting for an urban residential
<br />neighborhood. The neighborhoods included single- and
<br />multifamily residences, businesses, churches, and schools. One
<br />high-crime area was chosen because the perception of safety was
<br />deemed important. This pilot area was divided into two 20-block
<br />
<br /> sections. HPS lights were installed in one and metal halide in the
<br /> other. The city surveyed residents, business people, and
<br /> community officials and found that all groups felt that the new
<br /> streetlights were an improvement. Residents and business people
<br /> were evenly divided, however, in their preferences for metal
<br /> halide and HPS. Community officials, perhaps because of lower
<br /> maintenance costs, have decided to install HPS lights.
<br /> Nancy Clanton, whose firm designed the program, is pleased
<br /> that Kansas City is using this pilot to help develop a lighting plan
<br /> for the whole city. Clanton feels that cities too often approach
<br /> their lighting piecemeal instead of looking at the overall context.
<br /> She hopes the experiment will interest other cities.
<br /> Toronto. Last Fall, Toronto, the last major North American
<br /> city to be served almost entirely by an incandescent lighting
<br /> system installed after World War II, completely retrofitted its
<br /> street lights. Yearly costs approaching $4 million impelled the
<br /> city to seek a cheaper system.
<br /> The choice became a hot political issue. Not surprisingly, the
<br />commissioner of public works preferred HPS because of its low
<br />capital and operating costs. But strong opposition within the
<br />community led to the formation of the Street and Lane Lighting
<br />Sub-Committee consisting of citizens, council members, and
<br />representatives from the planning and public works departments
<br />and Ontario Hydro. The committee initiated test installations
<br />and recommended warm-white metal halide lights (the closest
<br />in character to incandescent lighting) in the traditional acorn-
<br />shaped lamps already in use.
<br /> "Metal halide costs more, but we made a decision that it is
<br />worth more," says committee member Alfred Holden. The city
<br />installed 40,000 of these high-efficiency lamps, expecting to
<br />reduce electric bills~by about $2 million annually~as well as
<br />carbon monoxide emissions from generating stations. Ontario
<br />Hydro's Street Smart Program will reimburse the city for 25
<br />percent of the cost of replacing existing fixtures. The entire
<br />project is expected to cost approximately $15 million.
<br /> Des Moines. The Riverfront Lighting Master Plan in Iowa's
<br />capital is the product of a cooperative endeavor by planners,
<br />engineers, transportation engineers, parks and recreation officials,
<br />and outside landscape and lighting professionals, architects, and
<br />power company representatives. Planning department staff led
<br />the Riverfront Lighting Committee, which wanted to realize the
<br />riverfront's potential as a major recreational source and reverse
<br />public 'perception of the area as unsafe. The committee chose to
<br />ban high-intensity floodlights, choosing a combination of HPS
<br />lamps over bridges and metal halide lamps on the Des Moines
<br />River esplanade. The city council adopted the plan in 1992, but
<br />it has been only partially implemented due to difficulties in
<br />obtaining funding. Nonetheless, it is an example ora lighting
<br />plan in which engineers and planners were part of the same
<br />process and could endorse what they felt was a solid workable
<br />plan in which they agreed on aesthetic and maintenance issues.
<br />
<br />Basic Ordinance Provisions
<br />Communities lacking full-scale lighting plans still must draft
<br />provisions to protect motorists and pedestrians from the hazards of
<br />glare and restrict light trespass, particularly near residential
<br />property. In The Subdivision and Site Plan Handbook (Center for
<br />Urban Po]icy Research, 1989), David Listokin and Carole Walker
<br />recommend that communities follow standards provided by the
<br />Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) or use a plan designed by
<br />the utility company. However, some lighting professionals feel that
<br />utility companies routinely pressure for excessive illumination. In
<br />any case, Listokin and Walker recommend that lighting be
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