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View Full Version : Street lamps and loadshedding



gboy
07-04-2008, 09:01 PM
hi

just recently a guy was hit by a car near where i live.

The primary reason for this was that it was dark (loadshedding). it gets really really dark,

another thing that i notced is that we normaly get loaded during peak traffic, people forget or cant see the stop lines ect (this is the middle of town on major intersections) and the stop slightly in the middle, and then bumper bashings occur.

why cant the municipality, loadshed the homes, but leave every third street lamp on. this would go a long way to reducing the total darkness.

CathJ
08-04-2008, 08:21 AM
hi

just recently a guy was hit by a car near where i live.

The primary reason for this was that it was dark (loadshedding). it gets really really dark,

another thing that i notced is that we normaly get loaded during peak traffic, people forget or cant see the stop lines ect (this is the middle of town on major intersections) and the stop slightly in the middle, and then bumper bashings occur.

why cant the municipality, loadshed the homes, but leave every third street lamp on. this would go a long way to reducing the total darkness.

I don't think the infrastructure allows for that - it's one switch which controls the whole area. They should be putting in infrastructure that will let them do something like that, but I guess it would be quite a major operation.

killadoob
08-04-2008, 08:47 AM
dude i dunno your store sounds a bit far fetched

surely ppl can see in front of them and can see a stop line or cars stopped with big red lights?

its the same type of thing as rain, ppl blame rain for accidents but its actually our inability as humans to change during bad conditions instead we drive as if everything is fine

also didnt the car who hit your friend have its lights on?

i know my car lights work amazing in the dark

Scooby_Doo
08-04-2008, 08:49 AM
Yeah when you hit the off button it kills power to large blocks of a city not individual persons or in this case street lights.

Frankie
08-04-2008, 09:02 AM
hi

just recently a guy was hit by a car near where i live.

The primary reason for this was that it was dark (loadshedding). it gets really really dark,

another thing that i notced is that we normaly get loaded during peak traffic, people forget or cant see the stop lines ect (this is the middle of town on major intersections) and the stop slightly in the middle, and then bumper bashings occur.

why cant the municipality, loadshed the homes, but leave every third street lamp on. this would go a long way to reducing the total darkness.

I was traveling down Main Rd in Walmer the other night during load shedding, and unintentionally went straight through an intersection where the traffic lights were out because there's no reflective signs up to show that you are at a now dead traffic light controlled intersection.
Walmer's Main Rd is lined with huge trees which exclude the moonlight making it very dark - I expect the tsotis will take advantage of this darkness.

bwana
08-04-2008, 09:08 AM
Our suburb doesnt have street lights anyway - we rely on light from the chokka boats :D - but somehow we manage to avoid hitting people . . . ;)

Also they've just finished resurfacing the road out to where we stay and you cant see a thing headlights or not. The asphalt just seems to absorb all light.

Each - or every other - streetlight should have a built in UPS.

Albereth
08-04-2008, 11:40 AM
Why don't they just turn off all the streetlights permanently?

If you live in the area you should know where the traffic lights and stop streets are. And if you don't, well you shouldn't be driving like an idiot anyway.

I can't really see what difference it will make from a crime point of view. Criminals will just wait for a blackout anyway - so no change there.

And how much of a mission can it be to go and hammer a few cats eyes into the roads?

Turn them off and leave them off. Maybe we'll see the stars again.

bwana
08-04-2008, 11:43 AM
Why don't they just turn off all the streetlights permanently?

If you live in the area you should know where the traffic lights and stop streets are. And if you don't, well you shouldn't be driving like an idiot anyway.

I can't really see what difference it will make from a crime point of view. Criminals will just wait for a blackout anyway - so no change there.

And how much of a mission can it be to go and hammer a few cats eyes into the roads?

Turn them off and leave them off. Maybe we'll see the stars again.Pedestrians like to see where they're going at night too.

Albereth
08-04-2008, 11:51 AM
Pedestrians like to see where they're going at night too.

Pedestrians should eat carrots and become more yellower - that way motorists will see them.

Do pedestrians not walk around when there is a blackout? In fact it's worse, I guess, than if they had to amble around with just the ambient light from shops, industry and households.

Large parts of Jo'burg don't have streetlights - Sandton had the option of tarred roads or street lights and went for tar. Some streets are still dark except for all the security lights people have had to put up. Most of the country is dark at night - miles of national roads have no lighting whatsoever. Okay not too many pedstrians out there but if they wanted to walk from Beaufort West to Craddock (say) it's pretty gloomy.