Street lights play an important role in the safety and security of our cities and towns, from providing visibility on dark nights to deterring criminal activity. But they also offer other advantages, including reducing energy consumption, creating a sense of community, and even promoting economic growth. The right street lighting design ensures that people can safely continue to travel their roads. In this blog, we discuss in detail the importance of streetlights and different street lighting designs to choose from:
Why Do We Need Street Lights?
Before we discuss street lighting designs, it is important to understand the importance of having street lights. There are multiple reasons why we need street lights in every outdoor space:
- Enhanced Security and Safety
Installing street lights in urban areas helps to reduce crime and provide a sense of safety and security. Road street lights allow people to be out and about at all hours, significantly reducing their risk of being impacted by criminal activity. Studies have shown that the presence of street lights can lead to a reduction in crime rates. Installing street lights in areas with higher crime rates encourage people to come out and be active outdoors during nighttime hours, providing an increased sense of safety and security.
- Improved Visibility at Night-Time
One of the biggest reasons why we need street lights is that it offers much-needed illumination during the evening. Without streetlights, visibility is drastically reduced at night, which can lead to an increase in traffic accidents and other unsafe activities. While every corner of the road should be well-lit, highway lighting is more important at bridges as they need to be visible even at night time, to avoid any life-threatening accidents.
- Increased Driver Safety on the Roads
Street lights provide drivers with enhanced visibility at night, making it possible for them to drive more safely in low-light conditions. A well-planned streetlighting design makes it easier to spot pedestrians, animals, and other vehicles on the road, as well as provides extra visibility when taking sharp turns or accelerating.
- Improved Illumination and Enhancing Landscapes
Street lights make a dramatic difference in terms of night-time visual appeal, improving the ambient lighting in an area and helping to create a more pleasant ambiance. They add character to cities and streetscapes by providing subtle illumination in areas where there may have been none before, making them truly impactful additions to any city or town.
Types of Street Lights
There are multiple types of street lights that you can choose from. Each street light has its own function and needs. Let us check out some of the most popular street lights:
Bollard Lights
Bollard lights are great to illuminate every garden space. They are perfect to provide optimum lighting to illuminate pathways and landscapes for assured safety. These are commonly mounted on the concrete walkways of a park.
Check out: Garden Lighting Ideas in India to Spruce Up Your Landscape
Pole Light
A pole light is one of the most elegant and essential street lighting designs that illuminates inadequately lit roads to guide vehicles. These exterior lights accentuate the ambiance of every space, including walkways, gardens, parking lots, and more.
Gate Top Lights
Gate top lights are elegant and decorative lightings that are available in different designs. They illuminate the doors of any home or garden, and provide easy visibility at night.
Factors to Consider when Choosing Street Lighting Design
Now that we have learned about different types of street lights, it is important to learn how to design or plan these street lights for best visibility through each light. Before finalizing the street light design, you must keep these factors in mind:
- Choose the Right Light for the Job
When selecting street lighting, one important factor to consider is the type of street lights you need. For instance, larger streets or highways may require higher-intensity lighting than sidewalk lighting.
- Place Poles Strategically
Placing street light poles strategically can be a crucial aspect of overall urban design. For example, lights should not be placed so closely that they blend together but should not be spread out too far so that there are large shadows between them.
- Consider Lighting Output and Control Features
A street lighting design should focus on two key features: the amount of light output and the control features. Over-lighting can lead to higher energy consumption and pollute the night sky. Under-lighting can lead to darker spots that are unsafe for pedestrians.
- Invest in Quality Materials for Long-Term Reliability
When choosing street lighting designs, it is important to purchase only high-quality materials. Opt for fixtures that are corrosion-resistant and certified for use in wet locations, such as outdoor LED wall pack lights. The lifetime of quality lighting materials can outlast inexpensive alternatives, making them a more cost-effective choice in the long run.
Spacing of Street Lights in Highways
Proper spacing between highway lamps is essential to achieving the desired lighting performance. Designers need to consider factors like
- Size of the area that needs to be illuminated
- Number of users
- Available power sources
- Required amount of light output
- Fixtures’ beam patterns
- Desired uniformity requirements
By properly calculating these values beforehand, designers can ensure their lighting system will meet their desired performance metrics. On average, the spacing between the highway lamps is between 30-60 m, depending on the factors discussed above.
Advantages of Automatic Street Lights
There are several advantages of automatic street lights, from economic savings and reduced energy consumption to improved safety and comfort while navigating roads and public spaces at night. Let us learn in detail about these advantages:
- Improved Safety
Installing automated street lights can improve safety on roadways and in pedestrian areas at night. When sensors detect movement, the streetlights automatically turn on, providing better visibility and fewer shadows which can disguise traffic dangers.
- Reduced Energy Consumption
You may wonder why do we need streetlights with automatic settings when normal streetlights Automated streetlights generate a number of energy savings. Automation can reduce the amount of energy used by streetlights because they only turn on when required, such as when there is movement in the area.
- Automatic Dimming for Night-Time Hours
Automatic road street light is also known for their ability to dim at night. Dimming lights at night also helps conserve energy resources by not having them shining brightly all throughout the night when it is unnecessary. Automatic dimming of streetlights can be controlled remotely through solar systems or computerised management software.
There are multiple factors you must consider before finalizing a street light design, including the right type, quality of lighting, or whether they are automatic or not. If you are wondering how to correctly plan street lighting in your garden, or street, contact our lighting planners at Jaquar for expert advice.