Lighting for roads and public spaces
Road lighting is a proven road accident counter measure with accident rates decreasing as the lighting levels increase. Street lighting prevents accidents and increases safety. However lighting on our roads and public spaces is also the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for local government.
Concerns about safety, crime reduction, and amenity need to be balanced against operation and maintenance costs, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The Draft Street Lighting Strategy on the Energy Rating Website estimates that there are approximately 2.28 million street lighting lamps in Australia. Street lighting is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for local government, typically accounting for 30-60% of their greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of lighting makes up a significant part of local government budgets which in turn impacts the amount of rates Council’s charges property owners.
The Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1158 – Lighting for roads and public spaces is currently being reviewed to increase efficiency, reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and investigate emerging lighting technologies. CFA representative Rado Starec is a member of the Standards Australia Technical Committee developing and amending this standard.
To find out more about becoming a CFA representative on the CFA Standards Project contact the Standards Coordinator on standards@consumeraction.org.