Showing category "For Streetlight designers" (Show all posts)

Street light wire theft: update

Posted by Steve Fitzsimons on Friday, February 17, 2017, In : For Streetlight designers 

Street light wire theft is a big and expensive problem for public agencies.  A world wide shortage of copper led to a dramatic increase in the salvage value of copper wire, starting in about 2006.  Coupled with the economic downturn in the US, a very unorganized but persistent wave of wire theft began.  With the slow-down of the building boom in China in about 2014-15, the price has since dropped off substantially but is still higher than historical averages.  Here is a snap shot of the curre...


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Solar Roads

Posted by Steve Fitzsimons on Saturday, December 24, 2016, In : For Streetlight designers 
France has recently installed an experimental stretch of road paved with solar panels.  The intent is to see if the panels can be used to power adjacent street lights.   See http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/tunedin/france-has-unveiled-the-worlds-first-solar-road/vi-BBxv1eB?ocid=spartandhp
for a brief video, or http://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/12/worlds-first-solar-road-opens-in-france/ for a more detailed post.  
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Pedestrian Lighting

Posted by Steve Fitzsimons on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, In : For Streetlight designers 
Question:  What is silhouette lighting?  
Answer:  There are two approaches to streetlighting near crosswalks.  The IESNA RP-8 discusses negative contrast and positive contrast options.  Positive contrast occurs when an approaching driver sees the front of a pedestrian brightly lit and contrasted against a dark background.  Negative contract occurs when the approaching driver sees a dark silhouette against a bright background.  
When lighting a crosswalk at an intersection, negative contrast is...
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Streetlight Design Standards

Posted by Steve Fitzsimons on Tuesday, February 22, 2011, In : For Streetlight designers 
Question:  Are streetlight design standards going to be updated for the new LED technology?  

Answer:  The current design standard in use by many agencies is the ANSI/IESNA/Recommended Practice 8-00.  It establishes average illuminance levels and average/min ratios based on street type, pedestrian use level, and pavement type. (See http://webstore.ansi.org/RecordDetail.aspx?sku=ANSI/IESNA+RP-8-00).  The methodology evaluates the amount of light shining on the pavement measured in footcandles. ...
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Night vision and Streetlights

Posted by Steve Fitzsimons on Monday, October 5, 2009, In : For Streetlight designers 
Question:  I'm interested in LED streetlight technology and have read about scotopic light measurements.  What can you tell me about that term?

Answer:  LED street lights seem to be the new rage-everyone is interested and there is a plethora of products to choose from as well as more than enough salespeople to keep us all busy.  According to the most recent Department of Energy independent testing less than half measure up to the manufacturer’s claims.  One important advantage they tout is t...
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About Us


Steve Fitzsimons If you would like to ask a question about driving rules, traffic signals or street lights, send your questions to: SFitzsimons@W-Trans.com or call 650-314-8313. Steve Fitzsimons is a professional Civil Engineer and Traffic Engineer in California. He is a principal at W-Trans. Find out more about W-Trans at www.w-trans.com **** If you need a traffic signal design or review, W-Trans is available for hire. If you are an electrical contractor, W-Trans is available for hire to prepare timing plans or traffic control plans.

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