COST ANALYSIS OF ROADWAY LIGHTING AND VEHICULAR LIGHTING PRACTICE IN URBAN AREAS

CURRENTLY ACCEPTED HEADLIGHTING DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE VISIBILITY FOR MAXIMUM SAFETY EXCEPT AT THE COST OF UNACCEPTABLE GLARE. HOWEVER, TWO FOOTCANDLES OF FIXED LIGHTING IN COMBINATION WITH VEHICLE PARKING LIGHTS USED FOR MARKING PROVIDE ADEQUATE VISIBILITY AND COMFORT. AS HEADLIGHTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT ENERGY CONSUMER AT RELATIVELY LOW EFFICIENCY, AND SINCE, AT CURRENT FUEL COSTS, ENERGY GENERATED BY VEHICLE ALTERNATORS COSTS AN AVERAGE OF FIVE TIMES THE COST OF ENERGY SUPPLIED FOR CENTRAL STATIONS, TOTAL COST OVER A STRETCH OF ROADWAY IS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION. FOR EXAMPLE, GIVEN A FUEL COST OF 40 CENTS PER GALLON AND A NIGHTTIME VOLUME OF 7500 VEHICLES ON A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY, THE COST OF 1.2 FOOTCANDLES OF FIXED LIGHTING WITH LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS COULD BE 25% HIGHER THAN THAT OF 2.0 FOOTCANDLES PLUS PARKING LIGHTS.

• Authors:
  • Edman, W H
• Publication Date: 1973-6

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 23
• Serial:
  • Lighting Design and Application
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Illuminating Engineering Society

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brightness; Costs; Daytime running lamps; Drivers; Energy; Fuel consumption; Headlamps; Luminous intensity; Power; Street lighting; Urban areas; Visibility; Vision
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision; Parking lights
• Subject Areas: Energy; Finance; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222233
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 17 1973 12:00AM