How Bright Is That Light?

The City of Goleta has come up with a new pandemic pastime for its residents: LED viewing. Four sets of streetlights installed in the Cannon Green Drive neighborhood are prototypes of the choices the city is considering as it transitions to an all-LED lighting scheme. And the city invites Goletans to take a look and send feedback.

More than 1,300 high-pressure sodium light fixtures currently make Goleta’s streets visible at night, but LEDs consume much less energy, require less maintenance as they are less finicky than high-pressure sodium, last longer, and cast a clearer light. The cost savings could be as much as 30-50 percent of current expenditures, estimated James Campero, deputy director of Public Works.

The four prototypes all do the job of lighting the street but differ slightly in subtle ways. With the feedback, Public Works hopes to learn more about public perception of the brightness and range of lighting, clarity in seeing details and colors, or even a preference in the look of the fixture head, Campero said.

The project lights can be found to the right and left of Cannon Green on Davenport Road, and toward the creek on Elmhurst and Freeman Place. (See the map for exact locations.) For comparison purposes, the high-sodium lights are the ones that cast a sulfury, yellow glow.

After the lights come on at dusk, Campero suggested walking or driving under, through, and around them to get an idea of the differences — all while wearing a mask should other people be doing the same, of course. Feedback can be given at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GoletaLED during the month of January.

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