Dear Cleveland City Council ,
I read the story about the switch to LED street lights.
https://www.cleveland.com/…/cleveland-already-finding…
It’s obvious from the photo in the article and the resident complaints that there has been a tragic mistake that needs to be corrected before any additional lights are installed.
In the second photo, you can see that the clouds are reflecting light from the city. This shows that Cleveland has a serious light pollution issue. Light pollution is causing an insect Armageddon and without insects, we will not have the rest of our ecosystem. Light pollution disrupts our circadian rhythms which leads to serious health problems. These issues will be hugely expensive as we move forward.
We also know from research that bright lights have zero impact on crime.
To fix these problems, Cleveland needs to do the following:
1) The overall goal must be Class 3 or better on the Bortle scale of light pollution.
2) All outdoor lighting must be a maximum 2200 Kelvin.
3) By 2022, all cars will have Automated Braking Systems. This means there is no reason to light the roadway where cars drive. Eliminate all street poles and replace with 3 foot tall bollards that illuminate only pedestrian and bicycle paths.
4) Ensure that all lights are shielded and diffused.
5) All business lighting must meet these same requirements.
6) Set a curfew of 11pm to 5am to turn off lights and use motion detectors.
There are millions and millions of stars above us. Humans have a fundamental right to view these stars at night. The Cleveland City Council has a responsibility to restore this right.
jones@clevelandcitycouncil.org, kbishop@clevelandcitycouncil.org, kmccormack@clevelandcitycouncil.org, kjohnson@clevelandcitycouncil.org, pcleveland@clevelandcitycouncil.org,
bgriffin@clevelandcitycouncil.org, bjones@clevelandcitycouncil.org, mpolensek@clevelandcitycouncil.org, kconwell@clevelandcitycouncil.org, ahairston@clevelandcitycouncil.org, dbrady@clevelandcitycouncil.org,
abrancatelli@clevelandcitycouncil.org, kkelley@clevelandcitycouncil.org, jsantana@clevelandcitycouncil.org,
mzone@clevelandcitycouncil.org, bkazy@clevelandcitycouncil.org, mkeane@clevelandcitycouncil.org