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Call to Action: LED street light fight

Photo is an example of warm white, 17-watt, LED street lights. Note how the streetscape is evenly lighted with few shadows. High energy, sodium lighting in the backround is being replaced. The right street light gives homeowners a choice on how to light their homes; low wattage is plenty in a low glare environment. Street lights like those shown combined with motion detectors detect intruders while allowing the good sleep hygiene recommended by the American Medical Association. By comparison, Houston is using 45-watt, harsh white, LED street lights. Hemet, CA warm white 17 watt LED

We are losing the LED street light fight here in the Houston area even though we do have some supporters on City Council.  The problem is that Council members continue to hear from residents who like the lighting as soon as they see one or two usually buried in trees. 

The latest information is that Houston is now the last mega-city not heeding the American Medical Association's call in a June paper for cities to reduce the blue light component in LED street lighting by using color temperatures no bluer than 3000K. Los Angeles and New York City are both moving to warmer lower wattage street lights going forward even though they also started out with the bright white 4000K we have. Chicago is considering only warm street lights. Phoenix is the first city to choose 2700K citywide, the color of the typical warm white porch light bulb. San Francisco, San Diego and Tucson will use only warmer LEDs.

What can we do?

Call and/or write your City Council rep as well as all five of the at-large members and Mayor Turner. Each Council member has a link to a map of the district. Council link: http://www.houstontx.gov/council/; mayor@houstontx.gov; atlarge1@houstontx.gov through atlarge5@houstontx.gov (this is Councilman Jack Christie, our most ardent supporter); districta@houstontx.gov through districtk@houstontx.gov

Here is a sample letter:

Dear Councilman Martin,
 
We understand that the American Medical Association has called for cities to move to warmer colored lower glare LED street lights for better visibility and fewer health problems now pointed to by thousands of studies.  We support Houston joining Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago in listening to the AMA and using better designed street lights.  The money saved by using low glare street lights that do not impair vision could be better spent on more police officers. 

Thank you very much. 

Sincerely,