New LED streetlights ‘obscenely bright’
Every night Gary Bridgman’s Christchurch home is lit up like a sports stadium.
The Fendalton resident blames new LED streetlights installed on the street outside, and says complaints to the city council about an ‘‘unbelievable’’ glare coming through his windows have gone unresolved for weeks.
The two lights either side of the house produce a whiter light than their predecessors, Bridgman says, causing the house to be ‘‘lit up like it’s floodlit’’ at night. He has seen other LED streetlights in his area that are ‘‘very good’’.
Council says the complaints are being investigated and the contractor has been asked to provide a solution. Bridgman said he could not look out of his streetfacing windows at night because of the lights. ‘‘It hurts your eyes. You can’t see anything. They are obscenely bright and intrusive.’’
The LED system enables wireless communication with each light as well as dimming during low use, identified light failures, an interactive map showing the status of each light and expected repair date and provided data to support warranty claims for light failure.
Bridgman said the council was trying to save money by dimming the lights instead of replacing them. Some lights were dimmed after his complaints but those outside his home remained ‘‘intolerable’’, he said.
‘‘Personally, I think these lights just aren’t right for residential purposes and (the council has) made an incorrect decision.’’
A council spokesperson said by staying with older technologies, lights would become harder to come by and increase significantly in cost.
The streetlights were designed for specific environments, but in certain situations ‘‘further design input is required to overcome local considerations’’.
The spokesperson said 16,725 lights had been installed as part of the LED delivery programme as of August 1, of which 2440 were the same as those outside Bridgman’s home. Three different types of LEDs have been used.