Most have witnessed Fred Astaire singing in the rain while dancing around a street lamp with Ginger Rogers but many do not realize the changes the lowly street lamp has undergone over its lifetime. From gas lights brightening the way along the walkways to the sodium filled arc light sources, the street lamp has come a long way since the late 1800 s.
In 1816, the city of Baltimore introduced gas street lighting, borrowing the idea from Britain, and lamp lighters were employed to travel the streets to light the lamps each night. Attala, Alabama became the first to use the electric street lamp in 1882, thanks to the new invention of Thomas Edison. In the early 19th century, a white way was considered a street that had street lights.
Some of the first electric street lamps were carbon arc lights, which cast a brilliant light and were useful in dock areas and other commercial facilities, but the brilliance of the light was not conducive to use in residential areas. Incandescent lighting, still widely used today, replaced the arc light, which also came with a high cost of maintenance.
Dangers Posed By Street Lamp Installation
While the benefits of the street lamp seem to be overwhelming for pedestrian safety, there are a couple of dangers posed by them, and the installation of street lamps usually take them into consideration. A bright street lamp can reduce a driver s night vision as the eyes automatically adjust to the presence of light.
When a person goes from a dark street into an area with street lights, their eyes make the adjustment and if plunged back into darkness when the street lights end, their eyes will take some time to readjust to the darkness. Additionally, the pole to which the street lamp is attached can become a crash hazard. They should be designed to break away on collision or be guarded by a guard rail or other device.
Light pollution is a common complaint, especially in residential areas where a street lamp may be placed close to a residence causing light to shine through windows. They also tend to shade the visibility of dim stars or other constellations, complaining complains from amateur astrologers living in a city setting.
Beacon lights are typically used at intersections to help motorists see the intersecting roads as well as street signs, while roadway lights are not intended to allow cars to travel without lights. Headlights are for that purpose, rather they are used to allow sight of hazards outside the normal view of the headlights.