VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

DAZZLED AT NIGHT

I am in full agreement with the letters written by Lucy Neatby (Oct. 13) and Dianne Powell (Oct. 14) — that it is high time to stop light pollution and take back the night.

Some time ago, Nova Scotia Power installed new, very intense street lights everywhere, which not only disturbingly light up streets in rural areas but also those in more populated communities. These newer types of street lights cast a sharp glare in a wide circle which infiltrates the inside of my house, lighting it up with a disruptive brightness all night long.

As well, I cannot enjoy my verandah on summer nights because the piercing street light shines directly into my eyes. All could easily be resolved with some kind of small screen attached to the back side of the light, preventing brightness on areas away from the street.

The same overuse of glaring, widerange lighting applies also to mall parking lots, car dealerships, and cinema properties, to mention a few. Here again, I am affected by one of the aforementioned in that super bright lights are shining into my bedroom, preventing ever having my curtains open on summer nights.

Another area of concern is when driving my car after dark, I am actually blinded by these overwhelming lights around businesses. The intensity is, in fact, more debilitating than if oncoming traffic had had all their lights on highbeam.

I think that such overstimulation of our visual sense may be more detrimental to our overall well-being than what we would like to believe.

Astrid L. Gunnarsson, Bridgewater