Unforeseen consequences...

Unforeseen consequences;

Cities around the country that have installed energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs don't burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm _ a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.

"I've never had to put up with this in the past," said Duane Kassens, a driver from West Bend who got into a fender-bender recently because he couldn't see the lights. "The police officer told me the new lights weren't melting the snow. How is that safe?"

Many communities have switched to LED bulbs in their traffic lights because they use 90 percent less energy than the old incandescent variety, last far longer and save money. Their great advantage is also their drawback: They do not waste energy by producing heat.

See:

Energy-efficient traffic lights can't melt snow

 

Good post Clint. Where does it all end. I am all for saving the Earth but come on it just seems like there should be a better way to do this. Like a lens cover thats slanted down to keep snow from covering it.

 

your right! its that simple eric,but no one saw that coming,ha! ha!....ray..

 

While I don't know about the lights in Scranton, there was one light around my old apartment that had the sun directly behind it, blinding anyone who tried driving through the intersection. Common sense said if you couldn't see the light, stop anyways and make sure. If you don't know if your light is green or red, assume it is red.

 

Let's add heaters and an automatic thermostat along with some sensors to determine if the light is needing heating. Done properly this can completely offset the savings realized with the LED bulbs! Brilliant!

 

I’ve got an idea, let’s put a solar voltaic power source on the top of the traffic light, coupled to a lithium ion battery pack that will last for ten years without replacement, and couple that to heat coils inside the lens tied to atmospheric temperatures.

Gosh, sorry. That might clean the lenses, and not cost anything to maintain after inital installation. Can't have that.

 

We have tall garden light posts in our garden - 3 bulbs and we changed back to incandescent for the winter, as we learned last year that by the time the lights were warm enough to cast light the necessity for them was over!! It took at least 20 minutes. The lights are a good idea, but not functional in snow or minus temperatures.

 

Brilliant! Just the sort of thinking we need. This way when the solar cells get dirty or covered with snow we can employ an army of government workers to go out in boom trucks and clear them off! Of course, having a solar panel several feet on a side to provide the power could complicate things, or, we could just roof over intersections with them.....

 

Or indeed, as has already been mentioned, some sort of cover...

 

Maybe we could get knit cozies for them.....

 

Maybe that's a job for all the grannies out there since we are now all going to have to work to 70, it'll give them someting to do.

 

70? Stefan, why do you get early retirement???

 

'Cos I've got enough savings to knock off early

Just call me 'squirrel.'

 

Lou, I might have to join that club with you, I'm far too lazy for my own good (how else do you explain the fact that I'm sitting around in my dressing gown on my leave week listening to desert island disks at 9:30 AM?)

To be honest though it only makes sense for people to work longer, if you are expecting to live to 100 then people are going to have to work later into life, stands to reason.