Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site mhuxt.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!evans From: evans@mhuxt.UUCP (crandall) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Light Pollution Comments Message-ID: <1010@mhuxt.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 19:01:24 EDT Article-I.D.: mhuxt.1010 Posted: Tue Jul 16 19:01:24 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 04:26:43 EDT Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 30 Sky and Telescope has done several articles on light pollution - notably July, 1980 and Feb, 1978. It is mentioned that a careful study by the National Institue of Law ENforcement and Criminal Justice cancluded: "while there is no statistically significant evidence that street lighting impacts the level of crime, especially if crime displacement is taken into account, there is a STRONG indication that increased lighting - perhaps lighting uniformity - decreases the fear of crime. Thus street lighting may serve simnply to foster a false sense of security." It seems J Edgar Hoover was one of the strongest proponents of intensified lighting -:) If one wants to play with the statistics you can note that 20% of the crimes occur on the 2% of brightly lit streets. The article goes on to talk about "raw" lighting vs effective illumination (lamp placement, type, reflectors etc.) and recommends some sources: Chicago Tribune Aug. 27, 1978 and The Wall Street Journal Jan 12, 1979 More recent info would come from the San Diego and San Jose papers (low pressure sodium lights) GE is one of the major outfits opposing such lamps as they prefer to promote their low efficiency spectrally dirty high pressure sodium lamps. Steve Crandall ihnp4!mhuxt!evans Note I find the very bright high pressure sodium lamps ruins my night vision to the point where I can't see anything in the shadows. If I were a criminal I that I would prefer going after night blinded people rather than night adapted people.