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Thursday, 04 October 2007 |
By Elizabeth Tenney
Planning Commissioner
The controversy over enforcement of the Town of Mammoth Lakes’ award-winning outdoor lighting ordinance, as reported last week (“Keep the light out of my eyes,” Mammoth Times, September 27, 2007), is missing the point.
The “SEE THE NIGHT No-Glare” outdoor lighting policy, endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce and adopted unanimously by Town Council in May 2003, provides more bang for the buck than about anything else the Town could do. Eliminating glare improves public safety, dramatically increases the community’s “mountain village under the stars” ambiance, increases security, invigorates the economic bottom line for business and saves money through energy efficiency. Not a bad payoff for—in 95 percent of cases—redirecting a fixture or changing out a light bulb.
Public safety is improved by eliminating glare because when light shines in your eyes, you can’t see. It’s as simple as that. Think of an oncoming car’s headlights that haven’t been dimmed. When light shines in the eyes, motorists have difficulty seeing pedestrians, wildlife or potholes. Pedestrians have difficulty seeing curbs, steps and obstacles. Light directed down to shine where it’s needed eliminates glare and significantly improves safety.
That magic “mountain village under the stars” ambiance our visitors seek and why we all moved here disappears when glare from overly bright, unshielded fixtures is permitted to trespass onto neighboring properties and roadways. Look at the change on Main Street after the promenade was completed and new shielded street lamps installed. Main Street is fully illuminated yet there’s no glare from the street lamps.
Star watching is an amenity we can offer in Mammoth. Bishop’s Chamber of Commerce featured a cover story in their latest newsletter on the economic benefits of dark skies. Yet Mammoth locals reported they could no longer see August’s Perseid meteor shower from Snowcreek Meadow because of glare from town. It is understandable that residents around the Village and the new over-lighted Westin Hotel are upset.
Lighting for security is misunderstood by many. It’s better light not more light that’s required. Glare causes harsh contrast and very dark shadows where intruders can hide. Photographs that clearly demonstrate this are available at the Town Community Development Department. Ask for the “Got Milky Way?” and “SMART LIGHTING” brochures.
Invigorating the economic bottom line is the goal of every business owner. Well-planned lighting shows off a business to advantage. To attract customers, display windows, entrances and signs should be as thoughtfully illuminated as a lighting designer would illuminate a stage set.
Saving money through energy efficiency can really add up. Just ask High Sierra Energy Foundation’s Rick Phelps. Direct light where it’s needed. Spewing glare into the sky, into people’s eyes, into neighbors’ windows is a waste of money and energy.
Compliance isn’t complicated. In nearly all cases, a very minor adjustment is involved: either redirecting a spotlight so it shines down on the ground, not in motorists’ eyes or neighbors’ windows; or changing out a bulb to a lower wattage.
Several hundred complaints about sources of outdoor glare in Mammoth have already been submitted to the Town; however, if each resident, second homeowner and absentee homeowner’s service were to assess their own outdoor fixtures for glare and light trespass, then redirect spotlights and change out bulbs to the legal wattage, the Code Compliance Officer’s job would be a lot easier.
It’s a big goal, but will take only a small effort to make our community look much more inviting. Let’s do it!
“Mammoth Forum” is a forum for public representatives to express opinions. Length limit: 1,000 words. Original ideas receive priority over responses to previous columns. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged. –MT
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 October 2007 )
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