Replacement of current unshielded lamps with full cut-off fixtures

The recent BC Hydro Street light replacement project is part of Hydro's province-wide plan to reduce light pollution caused by street lights.

The benefits of this initiative are well researched and documented, such as by the City of Vancouver's Outdoor Lighting Strategy, Alberta's Dark Sky's The Problem of Glare, and Dark-Sky's Light Pollution report.

These reports highlight the LED street lamp's benefits in providing a more focused and direct light in order to minimize the effects of light trespass, glare and  reflection.

Currently, in the Town of Comox, the LED street light retrofit has failed in its goal of reducing light pollution; In fact, the opposite is true - the new LED lights have INCREASED these undesirable effects. The newly installed lights shine directly upon private homes, turning night into day and in many cases they create dangerous glare for pedestrians and vehicles drivers alike.

The problem is that BC Hydro has installed unshielded lamps throughout the Town of Comox. Unshielded lamps do not control light trespass, glare or reflection. There is an option that does remedy these undesirable effects - called a 'Full Cut-Off Fixture.'

We ask the Mayor and Council to instruct Staff to review the current BC Hydro initiative with respect to the street light replacement project and instruct BC Hydro to replace ALL street lights within the Town of Comox with 'FULL CUT-OFF FIXTURES' to better control the light direction and minimize light trespass.