Where are all of the street lights? (Los Angeles: neighborhoods, living)

[tygayolo415]

After spending years living and doing business in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, something that still strikes me about L.A. is how the basic public infrastructure services sometimes appear to be 'second world' like.

For example, the other night I was walking down the street in my West Los Angeles neighborhood and for the umpteenth time I noticed how dark the street is at night for such a busy area. I started to pay careful attention to the actual street lights and noticed that there were plenty of fixtures, but they weren't working. This got me to thinking about other neighborhoods in L.A. and I could swear that the same issue exists all over the city.

Why is that? Is the city so broke it can't afford to have all of the lights on or is it that the folks in charge of these things don't care enough to correct the issue?

I never notice this as a widespread issue in the other two aforementioned cities. Honestly, it's a bit annoying. It's a basic safety issue. I feel like these are the important little details that add up to a day-to-day living experience which gets ignored in many discussions.

[Fontucky]

Maybe nobody reports the inoperative fixtures. Around here, if you don't call the report line, the lights stay dark. Maybe because the people who work on that stuff aren't out at night? I report the burned out lights in my hood and they're back in operation within a few days.

[bhcompy]

I imagine Fontucky is right. The city of LA has a hotline setup for potholes. I'm sure it works the same for streetlights.

Keep in mind that Los Angeles has 470 square miles of land, and decidedly not square with areas like Harbor Gateway and such far removed from LA proper. Chicago is less than half that and New York is 2/3 of that.

[1200RT]

santa monica seems to have a lack of street lights in some areas as well. i'm sure there is some wacky environmental code against using any extra electricity even at the risk of public safety.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

i'm sure there is some wacky environmental code against using any extra electricity even at the risk of public safety.

You're sure? Do tell.

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

You're sure? Do tell.

was a joke. I'm actually pretty well versed in the SM muni code.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

was a joke. I'm actually pretty well versed in the SM muni code.

Excellent. Got worried there.

[1200RT]

can't be too serious online ....