Thats good reading Geoff,
As soon i start the battle (which i think it will end up being) i will keep posting my updates on here as it may come in handy for others in the future..
After a discussion with a Traffic management officer who has responsibility for public lighting I was told their position is that the lighting is 'doing what it is designed to do', and they cannot (or will not) help me.
I asked who I could escalate the issue to within council and was told I could write to the traffic management dpt. Hmmm.
I called council again with the hypothetical issue of nuisance from a neighbours floodlight. I was told that it was a civil issue, not covered by By-laws or health and out of the hands of council.
We had 4 streetlights in our whole town.
After suspecting that it seems there are more lately, I finally got to do a drive around our little town and have discovered that over the last 2-3 weeks they have fitted more. We now have 16!
Not a big deal for city people but it is a big deal when you live in a dark spot.
I think it is going to get worse as this town is developing. (nearly time to move a bit further west)
"Full cut off" or "Aeroscreen" fittings are (now) widely used in Qld by the local & state authorities.
Part of my professional role is lighting design & standards.
It costs little or no more to use Aeroscreen light fittings.
They reduce glare for motorists, thus improving safety & reduce light intrusion.
These points are noted in both AS1158 & AS4282, these provisions need to be bought to the attention of the local councils & in particular to their lighting designers.
The "Astronomical Socity Australia" is on the committee for "AS 4282", getting representation to that committee member is one way we can, as a group, drive change in this area.
Change is possible ... if we act to drive change
This is a pic of the light type that is causing me grief.
The light is pretty much omnidirectional with as much projected horizontally as downwards.
Are shields available for this type of light ? or maybe the non existance of such could be the cause of councils reluctance to help me.
Peter,
I don't like your chances with the council. The local society has a committee for obtrusive lighting and has had lengthy meetings with both councils and to this stage they both stand on the arguement that, if it stands in the way of progress they are not interested, typical bureaucracy!
If you wish to pursue the matter I'll give you the right contacts when you contact me.
Hi Starkler
Our HV Crew usually paint the house facing side of offending light fitting with a light blocking paint, there is little cost in doing this !
A more appropriate (Aeroscreen) fitting that I have specified for our town lighting upgrade is shown here.
Originally posted by Starkler
Round 1 with City of Casey:
After a discussion with a Traffic management officer who has responsibility for public lighting I was told their position is that the lighting is 'doing what it is designed to do', and they cannot (or will not) help me.
I asked who I could escalate the issue to within council and was told I could write to the traffic management dpt. Hmmm.
Update:
I was surprised to get a call from them the next day after thinking I was being rejected out of hand.
The officer that I spoke to did some chasing up and asking around and mentioned no I couldnt persue it on health grounds (which I didnt ask). He also indicated that my request was unique.
I was asked what my expectation was regarding who would wear the costs, which I didnt give a firm answer to.
The upshot of his call was to invite me to put my complaint in writing to the council and now Im a little bit unsure how to proceed.
On the one hand I am possibly more likely to get cooperation If I make an offer to pay or to share costs. The light worst afecting me is in the street beind my rear neighbor, so there is a property between myself and the offending light. It may be hard for me to argue on light tresspass issues considering that distance.
If I mention Australian standards here I'll likely find if they drag the rule book out that they are complying considering the distance involved.
From my perspective the problem is that the bulb of the offending lights are directly visible, ruining any chance of achieving dark adaptation from my backyard.
I just went out and watched the lights come on down the street, they came on at different intervals. So my guess is 1. they all have a different setting on a timer or 2. they all have seperate light sensors at different settings. I am going to try high intensity Flash to see if that will trigger it, if not I will shine a 1000w studio lamp in the genral direction for a minute or so. if not I will go park my car down the road and shine my lights on it (highbeam) and see if that does anything. Will be interesting to see if they trigger.
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