Urban light crusader

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

Patric, I logged on to the forum tonight specifically to tell you congrats on getting this cause written up in the paper. I think the article was informative and your quotes were insightful. Nice work!

Thanks, the interview was a month ago so I had forgotten about it.  Never know what to expect sometimes but the writer (Phil Mulkins) got it.
Would have liked to have offered them an actual photo instead of the photo illustration, but it worked either way.

They also have it as a .pdf
http://www.tulsaworld.com/TWPDFs/2008/Final/W_090308_E_4.PDF

[PonderInc]

Go Patric!  Great article!

If you care about smart lighting (or smart development, in general), be sure to participate in PLANiTULSA and speak up.

Everyone will get a chance to work together, using maps of Tulsa to lay out their vision for the future (including development, preservation, transit, greenspace, etc).  There will also be a space for comments from participants. This is where you can talk about issues like smart lighting.

Participate in at least one (or better yet, several) community workshop(s)...and make sure things like "all lighting should be fully shielded" or "smart lighting throughout the city" get written on your group's map. The consulting team will be recording everything written on every map.  So the more often these concepts are voiced, the better.

More info: http://www.planitulsa.org

[riverman]

Very interesting! Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere but what is the best way to retrofit acorn lights to reduce glare and put more light on the street instead of the sky?

[sgrizzle]

New fixtures. You should have to look up at the fixture to see light. If you can see light looking directly at the side or from above, you are wasting light. The riverparks installed down-only lights which is an improvement but when you put in new fixtures you need to consider color and wattage. 100Watt+ lights are WAAY to bright at night. When you light up an area too bright, then you can't see the surrounding area. Who wants to walk riverparks but be unable to see the river?

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by riverman

Very interesting! Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere but what is the best way to retrofit acorn lights to reduce glare and put more light on the street instead of the sky?

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

New fixtures. You should have to look up at the fixture to see light. If you can see light looking directly at the side or from above, you are wasting light. The riverparks installed down-only lights which is an improvement but when you put in new fixtures you need to consider color and wattage. 100Watt+ lights are WAAY to bright at night. When you light up an area too bright, then you can't see the surrounding area. Who wants to walk riverparks but be unable to see the river?

That's correct.  So much money is still being spent on Acorn fixtures that it's logical we will be looking for a way to salvage that investment someday.  
The only redeeming value of Acorns are their aesthetic appeal (which is lost at night because of the blinding high intensity source inside) so your only recourse is to refit the decorative fixture with decorative intensities, and delegate the job of lighting the streets with supplemental fixtures more suited to the task.

You can refit Acorns with moderate intensity sources such as LED's or Compact Fluorescent, with the rule of thumb being you should be able to look directly at the lighted globe at night without discomfort, and still be able to clearly distinguish your surroundings.  

The street should be illuminated with Cutoff or Full-Cutoff fixtures mounted high out of the line of sight, and shielded in such a way that the light source is not directly visible form areas you do not wish to illuminate, or shining into the eyes of motorists or pedestrians.
The retrofitted Acorn now becomes a source of ambiance rather than the sole illumination source.

Since a modified Acorn is now more of a "mood light," warmer, more inviting colors are recommended, but to be true to it's historical analog, consider using light sources that mimic incandescent (around 3200 Kelvin or less).

[Red Arrow]

quote:Originally posted by patric
Since a modified Acorn is now more of a "mood light," warmer, more inviting colors are recommended, but to be true to it's historical analog, consider using light sources that mimic incandescent (around 3200 Kelvin or less).

What is the color/temperature of gas lighting? I thought the acorns were trying to mimic the era of gas lights.  I don't remember what San Diego's Gas Light district has.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by Red Arrow

quote:Originally posted by patric
Since a modified Acorn is now more of a "mood light," warmer, more inviting colors are recommended, but to be true to it's historical analog, consider using light sources that mimic incandescent (around 3200 Kelvin or less).

What is the color/temperature of gas lighting? I thought the acorns were trying to mimic the era of gas lights.  I don't remember what San Diego's Gas Light district has.

Most gas lighting was actually incandescent, where a flame is applied to a cotton mantle treated with rare earths causing it to incandesce or glow white.  
We tend to think of incandescent light today as a glowing filament resisting the flow of electricity, but both describe incandescent lighting.  Color temperature ranges from about 2000 to 3200 degrees Kelvin.

In contrast, the Metal Halide lamps found in street and car lot lighting can be much bluer, around 4000 to 6000 degrees Kelvin.

[Red Arrow]

quote:Originally posted by patric
Most gas lighting was actually incandescent, where a flame is applied to a cotton mantle treated with rare earths causing it to incandesce or glow white.  
We tend to think of incandescent light today as a glowing filament resisting the flow of electricity, but both describe incandescent lighting.  Color temperature ranges from about 2000 to 3200 degrees Kelvin.

In contrast, the Metal Halide lamps found in street and car lot lighting can be much bluer, around 4000 to 6000 degrees Kelvin.

I have a propane camp lantern but never thought of it as incadescent. Thanks for the info.

I have to admit that for driving, I like quartz iodide lamps when coupled with a European style lens. I've been driving behind them since the early 70s.  I haven't driven anything with the high intensity lights.