Skycity switches off outdoor lights
I hear that Auckland’s Sky Tower will be turning its lights out this Saturday as part of the worldwide Earth Hour campaign. I wonder if Skycity will also be switching off the 24 hour 7 day a week pokie machines in its casino rooms? That seems like it would be a more significant gesture [pdf].
Or maybe, as with the heavy metal fans in Tel Aviv, it will be able to keep the gambling going by getting gamblers to power the pokies by pedalling bicycles for an hour?
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March 27th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Could switch to the 19th century tech one-armed bandits, when player spun tumblers by pulling a lever.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Sky City is (literally) highly visible, but the company claims to be efficient - using less energy per square metre than the nearby conventional office space, despite 24/7 operation, on-site commercial kitchens, etc.
If true, this says less about Sky City than about Auckland’s antiquated commercial office buildings. It’s a stark reminder that paying attention to energy use does make a difference.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Now could Transit switch off the thousands of huge lights on the motorways? WTF are they there for?
March 28th, 2008 at 3:10 am
samiam, According to
http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/roads/rss/rss-02.pdf
“Crash savings from installing new or upgraded street lighting on traffic routes (Collectors and Arterials) are currently estimated at 30-40%. (1)”
(1) M.J. Jackett (1996) - “Accident Savings from Road Lighting in New
Zealand�, Proceedings of Roads ‘96 Conference, Christchurch 1996.
March 28th, 2008 at 6:07 am
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
March 28th, 2008 at 9:16 am
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?
March 28th, 2008 at 9:35 am
>>but not the rest.
So you’ve never driven at night on an unlit road, then…
March 28th, 2008 at 10:31 am
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.
BJ
March 28th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
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
March 28th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
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.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:18 am
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.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:40 am
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.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am
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
March 29th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Samian, Lucky sod
The whole of Marlborough is traffic light free zone now that the rickety old bridge over the Awatere has been replaced.