Guest Post: LED Streetlights on Murray Drive
Posted by auroracitizen on March 30, 2010
A reader writes:
I recently read that the town is looking for feedback on the pilot project of LED streetlights. The lights are currently are on Murray Drive.
Please have a look, make a comment and do provide feedback to the Town even if it is to tell them to NOT do anything more until their time (this Mayor and Council) has run out!
Sadly there will be more stuff, so let us not leave anything to this current team to decide for us.
Thanks
Aurora Citizen 
Elizabeth Bishenden said
Has the cost of disposal been included?
I ask because my old tungsten lights in the house could be thrown in the trash and were relatively benign. The new household energy saving light bulbs need to go to hazardous waste and still blow out in 6 months, just like the frosted tungstens.
Much was made of the heat waste of the older kinds of lights, but since we heat the house anyway, I’m not sure the energy was wasted. It was more of a collateral benefit. Besides heat, what is the waste of the olde-fashioned bulb? In a house in Canada in January, what difference does it make?
Anonymous said
I like the lights and will be telling this Council that.
Thanks will be Given come October said
Maybe they will install one over each of the new trees that up for approval at General Committee tuesday night.
The approval is to allow spending over $150,00.00 to buy and plant them. At that price it would be nice to be able to see them in the dark.
Let’s not think about the FREE trees offered by Neighbourhood Network and the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority that the Mayor turned down because their planting would conflict with her litter pickup day, and whether some or all of this money could be saved.
walt said
Y’know, them LED lights on Murray are pretty bright, unlike the half dozen dim bulbs on council.
As for the lights themselves, saw them the other night. We could do worse, can’t say I feel strongly one way or the other about their appearance versus the regular lights.
I would, however like to see how much the initial investment would be, and operational costs over time, predicted service failure rates, replacement costs, etc, etc, before committing one way or another.
One who Knows said
Jury is still out on LED in this area of the lighting industry , The sales folk in this businiess will go on and on about 60,000 hours of service life per unit but not one manufacturer can provide actual data that proves this, simply because these LED’s haven’t been around long enough to have logged the hours, Go Transit has them at their King City Parking lot and it would be interesting to see how happy they are with them , I think they had serious problems with over heating circuit boards not to mention that they are tripple the cost of conventional lighting, I think the Town has it right , do the trial and the home work, Best to be patient until the bugs are ironed out,
Anonymous said
I like the street lights and will ask this Council to move ahead with more. Makes fiscal sense even if you don’t like this Council.
Thanks will be Given come October said
Let’s have the GOS relinquish they’re remaining paycheques, they haven’t earned the money we’ve already paid them, and put the money towards street lights.
While they’re at it let’s drop the Integrity Commissioner position and apply that sixty five grand as well.
Of course the result might be the shedding of more light on this council’s actions which for the most part I’m sure the Mayor doesn’t want re-examined come election time.
Tim the Enchanter said
Good article in the Globe about LED street lights.
Supposedly more energy efficient and longer-lasting albeit much more expensive.
May very well be a great idea but agreed – too big a budget item to be considered by an out-going council.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/your-business/grow/new-product-development/led-streetlights-put-spotlight-on-halifax-firm/article1330299/
More info here for those keen to learn or procrastinate on what they should really be doing.
http://www.physorg.com/news187276175.html