pooled fund Projects
In progress
Light Level Reduction and Power Efficiency Guide for Roads - Updated April 2012
| Research Area | Roadway lighting, power efficiency |
| Responsible Council / Committee | Chief Engineers' Council Traffic Operations and Management Standing Committee |
| Related TAC publications | Guide for the Design of Roadway Lighting (2006) |
| Expected Start Date | November 2011 |
| Expected Completion Date | April 2013 |
| Research Agency | DMD & Associates Ltd. |
| Status | Work is in progress. |
| Project Funding Partners | City of Edmonton; Alberta Transportation; Ministry of Transportation, Ontario; Ville de Montréal; British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure; Halifax Regional Municipality; Regional Municipality of York; Ministère des transports du Québec; City of Ottawa; Translink; City of Calgary; Town of Oakville |
| Staff Contact | Sandra Majkic |
Abstract
TAC’s Guide for the Design of Roadway Lighting (2006) provides up-to-date design guidelines and desired lighting levels for roadway lighting. However, it does not address situations where there is desire to reduce lighting to lower levels than those suggested in the Guide. This is becoming an issue for jurisdictions and street lighting operators as concerns increase about environmental issues such as light pollution, power consumption and green house gas generation.
There are currently technologies and operating procedures to address the environmental concerns such as dimming equipment, LED lighting, motion sensors, adaptive lighting systems or simply turning lights off during specifics time periods. However, some guidance from the Guide for the Design of Roadway Lighting (2006) is required to allow road authorities to make sound decisions in relation to these environmental concerns involving light level reductions for transportation facilities.
The project objective is to identify the current practices/procedures for light pollution and power consumption reduction in relations to lighting levels as well as to determine conditions, time of day and locations where light levels may be reduced without compromising the safety and security of a transportation system.
The project goal is to formulate a set of guidelines for appropriate changes to the lighting levels in relations to power consumption and light pollution reduction. This would also include guidance for required equipment, systems and processes that could be used to attain light level reductions and power consumption efficiency.
The major deliverable of the project will be a Light Level Reduction and Power Efficiency Guide as a supplement to the Guide the Design of Roadway Lighting. It is expected that the recommendations for updates to the Guide for the Design of Roadway Lighting (2006) will also be provided.