By Dominic Abassi

Brighter days ahead for Nanaimo’s most dangerous intersections

Dec 3, 2018 | 5:08 PM

NANAIMO — Some of Nanaimo’s most dangerous roads and intersections will soon be much brighter.

Starting on Dec. 10, the City will begin replacing more than 400 streetlight heads with new LED fixtures. It’s the first step towards the eventual goal of converting all City-owned streetlights to LED and follows public consultations in 2017.

Michael Elliott, the City’s capital project management specialist, said initial installations will happen in three areas where data showed there were more crashes and pedestrian incidents at night: Aulds Rd. from the Parkway to Turner Rd., Terminal Ave. from Brechin Rd. to Stewart Ave., and the majority of Bowen Rd.

Elliott said the City reacted to feedback from residents concerned about the intensely blue-white colour of the LEDs.

“The placement of the very white lights has been focused at intersections, high-crash locations. Anywhere that’s in more of a residential area, we’ve actually moved to a fixture with a light that is a very similar colour to the old ones, it’s a warmer light.”

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He said concerns about the brighter fixtures creating more light pollution are unfounded because the LEDs are actually more focused on the area they’re supposed to illuminate compared to the old lights and don’t require shields.

Other benefits include a lifespan of 15-to-20 years, as opposed to three-to-five for the current lights, Elliott said, noting the LEDs use about 60 per cent less power and could save the City about $200,000 per year once all streetlights are converted.

The long term plan calls for conversion of all of the roughly 4,100 City-owned streetlights to LED, but Elliott said the timeline for that is unknown. Since 2016, all new developments and projects are required to use LED fixtures.

The initial conversion is expected to run through February of next year and people are warned to watch for lane closures during installation.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi