Big task keeping city’s light standards going
There are over 43,000 light poles in Vancouver and although the light they cast and other duties they perform are vital, they often go unnoticed and taken for granted. Here are five things you should know about the city’s light poles: Triple duty
The enormous light standards at major intersections in Vancouver that do triple duty of holding up trolley lines, traffic lights and street lights are slowly being replaced as the 80-year-old trolley bus system gets older. There are 11,000 of the trolley poles throughout the city and they’re co-owned by the Coast Mountain Bus Co. (TransLink) and the City of Vancouver. About 100 poles are replaced each year at a cost of $1.2 million, shared by the city and TransLink, according to Chris Bryan at TransLink. In addition to those, there are 32,500 street light poles that also hold up pedestrian, decorative and crosswalk lights, banners and posters and sometimes flower baskets and traffic cameras. And B.C. Hydro maintains another 11,000 poles on which the city affixes its lights. “If everyone had their own pole, things would be a lot crazier,” said Eric Mital, manager of street and electrical design.
COV green
A standard commercial davit must be galvanized/power coated and painted in “COV green.” It must be 30 feet tall (9.144 metres) and capable of supporting one 250 watt high-pressure sodium luminaire weighing 25 kg, one or two pedestrian luminieres, double banners and a 32-by-60-inch banner arm and one or two hanging baskets that would weigh 60 lbs. each when wet. And the pole must withstand winds up to 160 km/h. The city also specifies designs for decorative poles and lights in neighbourhoods such as Chinatown and Olympic Village. The city is exploring conversion to LED and lights’effect on wildlife, night-sky watchers and those with low-vision disability.“We’re trying to be more thoughtful about how we light,” Mital said.
LED lights
Most lights are “high-pressure sodium,” which cast a soft orange glow, said Mital. But the city uses LED — light-emitting diode — lights with a more powerful light for better object detection at intersections and some bike paths. LED lights at Main and Hastings streets have cut collisions by 46 per cent, according to the city. Converting all lights to LED would halve the citywide $4 million power bill for street lighting, said Mital. (A U.S. study showed LEDs can save a modest amount of energy) City staff change 800 bulbs a year and poles are regularly repainted.
Zero emissions
The trolley lines for Vancouver’s electric bus system — with 262 trolleys, one of North America’s largest — at an intersection like Broadway and Granville weigh up to 1,400 kilograms and are supported by eight gigantic poles. The trolley lines run 315 km through Vancouver and parts of Burnaby and UBC. The buses are almost 30 per cent more expensive than diesels to buy, but have zero emissions.
Graffiti free
About 350 of the poles across Vancouver have poster cylinders to keep poles otherwise free of materials and graffiti. The city also allows the installation of banners by business associations, non-profits, charities, and neighbourhood societies (like those on Fraser Street from King Edward to 31st) and for special events (such as the Sun Run and Vancouver Art Gallery). Groups are generally responsible for the banners’ creation, installation, maintenance and removal.