Comments on: Skycity switches off outdoor lights

By: Kevyn

Kevyn — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:30:21 +0000

Samian, Lucky sod The whole of Marlborough is traffic light free zone now that the rickety old bridge over the Awatere has been replaced.

By: bjchip

bjchip — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:48:35 +0000

Samiam

I love the dark of night, it lets you see the stars properly.

It isn’t a big feature of the civilized world though.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights2_dmsp_big.jpg

Look at that, and then look at this….

http://www.solarviews.com/raw/earth/earthlim.jpg

The atmosphere is like a coat of lacquer on a bowling ball…. NOT that thick…

… and consider again… we CAN affect something as big as the earth’s atmosphere or climate… and very likely we have done exactly that.

respectfully
BJ

By: samiam

samiam — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:40:18 +0000

Hey I live 100km from the nearest set of traffic lights and a further 100 from the next set! Back to earth hour… I’ll be walking down a dark street looking up at the sky and feeling all the safer for it. Enjoy the dark side.

By: Kevyn

Kevyn — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:18:55 +0000

samiam, Come and live in Christchurch. We don’t have any lights on our motorways. But only because we don’t have any motorways. We keep paying for them and apparently some have been built…just not where they are any use to us, eh.

By: samiam

samiam — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:56:58 +0000

I guess that’s my problem, I’ve lived and driven all my life on unlit roads. I find driving on the motorway at night somewhat of an overkill. Add rain and the reflection makes it totally overwhelming.

By: MissDeFilter

MissDeFilter — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:13:42 +0000

Typical ignorant men! Its nothing to do with safe driving. Its all about safe breaking down. Ask your wives before you pontificate on matters you know nought about.

Try using those three words that men are so afraid of…I DON’T KNOW

By: bjchip

bjchip — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:31:16 +0000

samiam

Possibly a reduction in speed for night travel? Most people have no real clue when they are overdriving their lights. Even at night.

Criminals do NOT need light. They operate best in the dark.

The expense of putting in LED lane markers is not really needed. Good reflectors on the lane boundaries is usually sufficient… IF you can be sure that stray sheep, rocks, cattle, dogs, horse, bedsteads, wheelbarrows and drunks are not somewhere between those boundaries. I have seen all those things on one road or another in my driving… light aircraft…

Turning out the lights means you have to slow down to maintain safety. Which speed applies when? It might actually be a good idea. Driving to conditions is not a habit most people form early in their driving career.

However, I would not favour turning out the lights anytime soon.

By: BluePeter

BluePeter — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:35:18 +0000

>>but not the rest.

So you’ve never driven at night on an unlit road, then…

By: samiam

samiam — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:16:11 +0000

LED lane markers maybe? What were headlights invented for anyway. I do understand lighting the motorway junctions but not the rest.
As to lighting streets… don’t crims need light too?

By: bjchip

bjchip — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:07:04 +0000

Samiam

IIRC Dark motorways make more and deadlier accidents and dark streets increase the crime rate.

Light in the streets is one of the symptoms of human society. I don’t think we will have much success until power gets a LOT more expensive.

respectfully
BJ