UK To Dim Highway Lights To Save Money 348
Hugh Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that street lights on thousands of miles of major roads in England will be dimmed during quiet periods to save money and reduce carbon emissions. The Highways Agency has already turned off the lights on more than 80 miles of the motorway network and will soon begin a survey of where this can be done on the 2,500 miles of A roads it controls. Nigel Parry, of the Institution of Lighting Professionals, says that technology enabled lights can be controlled individually and remotely. 'The idea is that when traffic is busy, such as during the morning and evening rush hour, you have them at their brightest. When the traffic disappears you can dim them. You can maintain safety and use half as much energy.'"
I for one (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Highway lights??? (Score:5, Funny)
The Germans are in bed by 9pm.
Ok, the next obvious answer then... (Score:4, Funny)
Why not just turn them off if there's no cars? Ok, current lights I'm sure take time to warm up, but if switch to these new lowpower thingies, aren't they near instantaneous?
Or....
Glow in the dark paint on road sides.
As cars travel by with their lights on, it'll 'charge up' and provide a clear path for the next car! Just one or 2 lights where needed at junctions (and as a heads up that there IS a junction up ahead), and catseyes/glowinthedark paint everywhere else! Save a fortune, increase road safety!
Or solar panel charged LED lights for road edges like you get at garden centres. Power up in the day, gently glow at night.
Ok, next plan...
Glow cars. Seeing as body panels these days are plastic anyway, why not make them slightly translucent, and attach lights inside the panels to make the main car itself glow? You'd be able to see cars far easier, dim headlights, giving cyclists/motorbikes clearer visibility (same brightness on their lights).
As cars brake, not just their rear brake lights, but the whole car illuminates/changes colour.
All in the name of saving power.
(posting so I've something to refer back to for prior art one day).
Re:I might just be a luddite, but (Score:2, Funny)
Americans drive everywhere .-)
Using the footpath is what you do when crossing from your Hummer to Walmart to stock up on lard and chip fat.
Re:Autobahn (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Light deters crime (Score:4, Funny)
You know what would deter crime? Sentry guns.
Re:Highway lights??? (Score:2, Funny)
The Germans are in bed by 9pm.
Going to bed early is how they manage to get up so early to nab all the best chairs around the pool...
Re:I for one (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Autobahn (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I might just be a luddite, but (Score:3, Funny)
Because headlights only light up what is in front of a car...
TFA is about the UK. They drive on the wrong side of the road, so the headlights light up what is behind of the car.