Just found out that Lake Macquarie Council is going to start replacing all of the streetlights with broad spectrum LEDs commencing in January. That is 5609 individual lights. This really dismays me as I have been fighting the Council for some years about the creeping light pollution. The Council has no light pollution policy, has no designated officer responsible, and all developments only have to meet the very old Aus Standard from the 1990s for out door illumination. Decision made without community consultation, based on cost savings to the Council (bet there is no rate reduction).
Some shadowed LEDs actually are much better than the old incandescent bucket type fittings, but the photos in the local paper look more like car park lights.
Given the vast bush areas all through the Council domain, the effects of LED on the nocturnal animals has never been considered, and I had written to them about "lighting up the Bush for no good reason" on several occasions; including links to the studies on the effect of substantially blue light LEDs on local birds and nocturnal animal reproduction (basically it messes up their seasonal signalling brought on by natural light cycles). Reproduction declines, populations decline, etc.
I moved to this area substantially for the darkness, I am going to have to accept that I can not influence this bunch. At least I was successful in getting one light on my street replaced with a shielded LED, thanks to actually catching some reasonable Ausgrid guys in the area, hope they don't replace it now.
Time to move again I fear. It could be worse, if Bunnings decided to plonk one of their stores nearby.
