OPTIMIZATION OF THE QUALITY OF ROADWAY LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS--ESPECIALLY UNDER ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

A discussion is presented on the following topics: the various parameters affecting perceptibility and visual comfort provided by road lighting installations; road surface reflection properties; and the influence of the luminaire, the road surface, and the luminaire arrangement on visibility, especially during wet or foggy weather conditions. Among the parameters considered are luminance level, uniformity ratio, glare, average luminance coefficient and degree of specularity of the road surface, and the luminaire characteristic known as cross factor (CF). From the analysis presented, which includes the results of calculations for many different road surfaces and luminaires, it is concluded that, during wet and foggy weather, luminaires with high CF values are best and that catenary type luminaires have the highest CF values. While high CF values do not necessarily indicate good quality during dry weather, it is found that the catenary types of luminaires also result in optimum road lighting quality during dry conditions when used in a catenary arrangement. Finally, it is concluded that catenary luminaires using low pressure sodium lamps, which are especially suitable for use in catenary type luminaires because of their longitudinal shape, offer the best combination because of the advantages the color of low pressure sodium light has on vision. /HRIS/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00994480
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Annual IES Conference, July 13-17, 1975 San Francisco, Calif.
• Corporate Authors:

  Illuminating Engineering Society

  120 Wall Street, 17th Floor
  New York, NY  United States  10005-4001
• Authors:
  • Van BOMMEL, WJM
• Publication Date: 1976-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 99-106
• Serial:
  • Illuminating Engineering Society, Journal of
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Illuminating Engineering Society
  • ISSN: 0099-4480

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Catenaries (Railroads); Fog; Glare; Luminaires; Luminous intensity; Moisture content; Optimization; Pavements; Pressure; Reflectivity; Sodium vapor lamps; Street lighting; Visibility
• Uncontrolled Terms: Wet conditions
• Old TRIS Terms: Low pressure; Sodium lamps
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00129602
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 21 1976 12:00AM