Report: Many interstate lights dark in Atlanta (credit, how much)

[LynnHarris]

"Atlanta officials say budget cuts are the reason nearly half the streetlights have been allowed to go dark on interstate highways within the city limits..."

Full Story: Report: Many interstate lights dark in Atlanta | www.ajc.com

[AnsleyPark]

I'm surprised they didn't just pilfer funds from the water department to pay for the lights....

[jsvh]

This has come up before and something that needs to be fixed. It is dangerous and looks bad.

[ATLTJL]

It's ridiculous. The ROI received in increased safety from the measly spend required to power them is just about the highest you'll ever see.

The safety benefits are proven.

Gwinnett county pulled the same crap around the same time. When I moved there, I was so angry at this (I knew I-85 had working lights from when I lived along it in 2001) that I researched the statistics and sent them to the AJC. Luckily, Rick Badie read my letter and wrote about it. I can't take credit, but I like to think that my action had at least some small influence on the county to get the lights back on.

Rick Badie's Gwinnett: Shining a light on safety | www.ajc.com

It looks like the media is already covering the situation in Atlanta, but I would urge you to call the media and lawmakers. It's unsafe and as jsvh pointed out, it does simply look bad. Not good for a city as on the move as Atlanta.

[bryantm3]

...and yet they continue to install inefficient sodium lamps on the new freeway ramps on 400! do you know how much energy those use up, and how much wasted light they put off? one of those lamps is as bright as 40 100-watt incandescent bulbs lit up together.

they could install induction lamps, which use half the energy and put out usable light rather than monochromatic orange.

here's a comparison between sodium lamps (on the left) and induction lamps (on the right):



they don't even have to replace all the old lights at once— just start installing the new induction lamps one by one as the old ones go out!

[Born 2 Roll]

Since the Interstates are basically state-owned and state-maintained highways, paying to keep the freeway lights on likely should be the responsibility of state government and NOT local and county government.

Unfortunately this is likely yet another example of state government not collecting enough revenue to adequately fund the operation of the transportation network.

The state has basically pushed the responsibility for funding the freeway lights on state-maintained superhighways off on local governments who, when economic times get tough and budgets tighten, basically decide that they don't like being tasked with paying for something on a state-owned right-of-way.

The State of Georgia needs to grow up and start collecting enough revenue to fund the operation of the most basic transportation infrastructure like freeway lights within the state's own right-of-ways in urban areas.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Since the Interstates are basically state-owned and state-maintained highways, paying to keep the freeway lights on likely should be the responsibility of state government and NOT local and county government.

Unfortunately this is likely yet another example of state government not collecting enough revenue to adequately fund the operation of the transportation network.

The state has basically pushed the responsibility for funding the freeway lights on state-maintained superhighways off on local governments who, when economic times get tough and budgets tighten, basically decide that they don't like being tasked with paying for something on a state-owned right-of-way.

The State of Georgia needs to grow up and start collecting enough revenue to fund the operation of the most basic transportation infrastructure like freeway lights within the state's own right-of-ways in urban areas.

Good points

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Since the Interstates are basically state-owned and state-maintained highways, paying to keep the freeway lights on likely should be the responsibility of state government and NOT local and county government.

Unfortunately this is likely yet another example of state government not collecting enough revenue to adequately fund the operation of the transportation network.

The state has basically pushed the responsibility for funding the freeway lights on state-maintained superhighways off on local governments who, when economic times get tough and budgets tighten, basically decide that they don't like being tasked with paying for something on a state-owned right-of-way.

The State of Georgia needs to grow up and start collecting enough revenue to fund the operation of the most basic transportation infrastructure like freeway lights within the state's own right-of-ways in urban areas.

I agree.

Just to add... I feel it should be a state cost, since they are arteries mostly used for crossing county lines, regional lines, etc..

I can understand when times were tough and local governments were pressured to make difficult choices and scrimp how this type of cost might be easy for a local government to cut when it has more regional implications.

[demonta4]

Well at least I won't be blinded at night.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Well at least I won't be blinded at night.

Unless you travel past that obnoxiously bright Delta billboard on the connector...