New solar-powered streetlights in Cheektowaga are terrible
From the Buffalo News. www.buffalo.com
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New solar-powered streetlights in Cheektowaga are terrible
12/20/2004
I would like to elaborate on a statement in The News article about the solar-powered lights in Cheektowaga. Christopher Kalwara of Johnson Controls said that light meters show the solar lights are brighter than the gas lights they have replaced.
The article failed to mention that this bright light is focused into three distinct beams - two on the street and one on the sidewalk - all in the immediate area of the light pole, which leaves the rest of the street and sidewalk in the dark.
At least the old gas lights emitted ambient light that illuminated the entire street and sidewalk. My home is located on a corner lot where the crosswalks are well outside the reach of this new brighter light. It is also a school bus stop. This is a tragedy waiting to happen.
The recent windstorms have revealed another flaw with these new lights. The solar panels and positioning devices are huge, flat surfaces that are turned around by the wind, repositioning the three light beams, making them even more useless. Why have some of Cheektowaga's residents been summarily designated as second-class citizens by making our streets unsafe at night and butchering our trees?
Michelle M. Tendorf
Cheektowaga
