STREET LIGHTING EXPERIMENT

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21116, 17 March 1934, Page 12

STREET LIGHTING EXPERIMENT

♦ EFFECTIVE BUT COSTLY CITY COUNCILLORS' OPINIONS Experiments conducted in Papanui road with gaseous discharge lamps as a method of street lighting have greatly impressed users of the road by night. Two members of the electricity committee of the Christchurch City Council have expressed their approval of the new scheme and motorists and pedestrians also have stated that the lighting is a vast improvement on the old type. Tramway motormen who travel the road by night most frequently stated last evening that in colour and intensity the lamps were excellent. They preferred the typo that was suspended over the track. thu.> giving longer direct vision. It is too early yet perhaps to make any clear judgment of public reaction to the new lights, as the novelty factor was very evident last night when thousands of those who came in to the city for late shopping made an inspection of the lights in operation. It was obvious to all that the new lamps were better than the old; the roadway was brilliantly lighted and visibility was improved remarkably. Especially noticeable was the better light provided by the lamps fitted to the poles at the side of the road than by those of the overhead type, which were inclined to cause sharp shadow outlines.

Comment on the Colour 1 The peculiar colour effect to i whicli reference was made in "The Press" yesterday morning caused considerable comment. In the dusk soon after the lights were turned on the colour was most difficult to name, but in the hours of darkness ! the colouring was blue to purple. i While green shrubbery and white surfaces were shown in brilliant effect the light did not render the red range. The result is a cold light which produces reds as i browns. It has to be taken into I account that seen so closely com--1 pared with the customary tungJ sten filament, lamp any differences | are thrown into bolder relief than | with either type seen alone. i In descriptions of the new light 'published m Irade journals followI ing its adoption after trial in Engj land it was claimed that the lamps i had a 50 per cent, longer burning i life than the tungsten lilameni j types. Further, fewer lamps were I required, ami the gaseous lamps i consumed two-filths of the power ■ taken by tungsten filament lamps ■ to produce light of a similar bril- ■ liance. While the value of the , gaseous lamp for all types of .slreet i lighting has been admitted by overseas experts it is agreed that it is for heavy traffic areas that they : give so great an advantage in additional safety for night driving. Use in Main Streets Cr. F. T. Evans, one of the memI bers of the electricity committee of ' the City Council, informed a rcprejsentativo of "The Press" last even- , ing Hint he was in favour of the new lamps. They gave a far greater intensity of light, yet the colour was soft and there was no dazzle. He had heard objections to the unusual colour effects, he said, hut no doubt users of the road could become acI customed to it. He would like to j see the scheme made permanent, as i it compared more than favourably with the present system. The cost I must, be taken into consideration j because the new type consumed hundreds of candle-power more than the old. and upkeep was considerably dearer. "I will certainly be in favour of the council installing a number of the lamps in main thoroughfares," he said. Mr Evans said that Mr E. Hitchcock, manager of the Municipal Electricity Department, had stated that i street lighting had not made the I same advance as other departments i in the undertaking. lie (Mr Evans) | thought that the belts of the city, j Riccarton road, Papanui road, Riccarton avenue, and Colombo street 'could be illuminated far better than i they were at present. The experiI ments would give a good indication j of modern standards of lighting and | show that the council would have to ; foot the bill if street illumination was to be improved.

Hifrh Capital Cost Cr. M. E. Lyons, another member of the committee, said that the illumination was so strong that to pass from the area into a suburban street was like passing into darkness. The capital cost of the new lights was high. They were of 1600 candle-power and the capital cost was £2l for each lamp, whereas the capital cost of the largest lights now in use, 000 candle-power, was only £3. A full report would be made to the next meeting of the electricitv committee by Mr Hitchcock, and then the council would receive a report. The Wellington City Council, added Mr Lyons, had ordered 27 of the lamps, which would light the whole of Lambton quay. Drivers of trains have been asked to report their impressions to Die tramwav authorities to-day. An English writer, describing the gaseous lights in use. states that motorists soon discovered that to secure the maximum advantage from the improved visibility given by the street lighting driving with headlights dimmed was best.