HIGHWAY LIGHTING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 14

HIGHWAY LIGHTING

LOWER HUTT EXPERIMENT

The experiment of flood-lighting HI about half a mile of highway by the H Hutt Valley Electric Power Board in B front of the board's premises along the H Hutt Road and in Railway Avenue at- H tracted a large number of interested R visitors on Thursday, including Mr. A. BJ W. Press (chairman) and members of H the Power Board, Mr. J. W. Andrews H (Mayor) and members of the Lower H Hutt Borough Council, members of the H Petone and Eastbourne Borough Coun- ■ cils, and Messrs. E. A. Batt, E. Pal- K liser, and W. A. Sutherland, of the ■ Automobile Association. B The stretch from the Power Board If premises to Railway Avenue was lit B with incandescent lamps with special p non-glare globes. The effect of this || lighting was noticeable to those ap- j proaching the area from the south. > Viewed from the ramp on Uie bound- \ ary between Petone and Lower Hutt. a clear-cut line of light could be seen on the road where the special lighting commenced. Motor lights were un necessary in the area and ordinary handwriting was readable it the centre of the road. The greater praise, however, was given for the streetch from the railway station to the bridge in Railway Avenue. This area was lit B with sodium lamps, which were even ■ more effective than the,incandescent ■ lights. J The engineer and general manager of ■ the Power Board (Mr. E. F. Hollands) ■ stated that the cost of the sodium lamps would be roughly 50 per cent, higher than that of the incandescent lamps, although the cost of current for the sodium lamps would be, roughly, about a quarter the cost of incandescent. The incandescent lamps were taking 300 watts and giving 6000 candle power, and the sodium lamps only 150 watts and giving 9000 candle power. The experiment was being carried out by the Power Board, and the Automobile Association had contributed £50 to the board towards the cost. The entire absence of glare was a notable feature of both stretches. Mr. Hollands stated that the effect of the sodium lamps would have' been much better had they been raised by two feet, but there were difficulties in the way caused by telephone lines. The experiment would be an object of interest next week to engineers and others attending the electric power boards' conference in Wellington. Though costs were not yet available, it is expected that the sodium lamps would cost between £12 and £13 10? per lamp per annum, as against £3 10s, which was the cost of ordinary street lights. The Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) has expressed his interest in the experiment. Under the regulations, there are only three stretches of road in the Dominion which would warrant the Highways Board bearing the costs of similar light-

ing, and one of these areas is the Hutt ■ Road between the Wellington and H Petone boundaries. Boroughs of over g 6000 inhabitants are expected to bear m the cost of lighting the highways of Hj their own districts. ■ The period over which the experi- ■ ment will be tried has not yet been de- ■ termined. H