This is quite an interesting story that has not been told before.
Street Light Ownership Summary
Prior to July of 2013, the City had approximately 7,650 street lights. The City owned 4,050 lights and PG&E owned a total of 3,600 lights – 3,000 of which were on wooden transmission poles and 600 of which were on PG&E metal poles and non-distribution wood poles. In the Fall of 2014, the City entered into a collaboration wherein PG&E 1) transferred ownership of 3,000 street light arms, brackets and connections to the City for $154,000 dollars; and 2) entered into an agreement using PG&E turnkey services to upgrade the lights to LED technology with installation services using a local Richmond contractor. At the completion of the project, PG&E will continue to own 600 lights.
New Street Lights
Since December 2013, approximately 1,800 new street lights have been installed on empty poles and another 120 are pending PG&E review, for a total of 1920 new lights. Of the 1,920 new lights, 1,000 have been energized by PG&E and they are continuing to energize 100 street lights per week. Please see the update on the City Manager’s weekly report from August 8th - http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/6007.
Above, a pole in Point Richmond with a new LED light on the left and an older light on the right
Program Summary
At the end of this program, the City will have converted and added approximately 9,000 streetlights. The LED lights use half the electricity of the older lights and last many times as long. The City owns all but 600 lights, the rest remaining under the ownership of PG&E.
Community Priority for Street Lighting
Based on the 2013 Community Survey, “increasing street and pedestrian lighting” was one of the top six issues that residents wanted the City to address within the following two years. The table below has two sets of results, the first from the initial survey from National Citizen Survey involving randomly selected individuals, and the second from an on-line version that anyone could complete. The first was more scientific and the second more self-selective. The results were similar, but the self-selected survey reflected more satisfaction and optimism. The demographics of the self-selected survey were individual who are typically wealthier, whiter and older.
Focus Areas |
Scientific Results |
Non-scientific Results |
|
|
|
Reducing crime |
96% |
96% |
Addressing blighted properties |
87% |
85% |
Developing job training opportunities |
88% |
83% |
Improving street paving conditions |
86% |
80% |
Improving environmental quality |
84% |
83% |
Increasing street and pedestrian lighting |
80% |
77% |
Dark Sky Compliant as Installed
The 4,000 Kelvin Beta XSP fixtures are Dark Sky Compliant. 4,000 Kelvin Type II fixtures have been installed on residential streets throughout the City. The City has submitted specifications to the Dark Skies Association and is awaiting 3rd party confirmation. The lighting distributor, Omega Pacific, and manufacturer Cree have assured the City that the fixtures are Dark Sky Compliant. Richmond is using the same fixture as a majority of cities in California, including Los Angeles.
Light Level Adjustment
The lights can be manually adjusted by a contractor. The fixtures are field adjustable, so there is an option to decrease the wattage all the way to 15-watts.
Turning Off Street Lights
The City will consider turning off street lights where they are not wanted. Click here for a Petition Form to request turning off a street light. Return the forms to: Andy Yeung, P.E., Senior Civil Engineer City of Richmond, Engineering Services Department, Design and Construction Division,
P: 510-307-8108, F: 510-307-8116, andy_yeung@ci.richmond.ca.us.
Optional Shield
There is a back shield that can be installed on the fixture to prevent backlighting. However, the type-II fixtures are already designed to minimized back and forward lighting.
Point Richmond Lights
Point Richmond had 170 existing lights changed to LED as a baseline and 125 new LED lights. Point Richmond is the only area where people have complained about the lights. Many people in Point Richmond, however, appreciate the new lights, and I have gotten no complaints and lots of appreciation from people in other parts of the City, many of whom actually want even more lights.
More Information
For more information, contact :
Adam Lenz
Environmental Manager
City of Richmond, CA
(510) 620-5537
adam_lenz@ci.richmond.ca.us
Web: www.richmondenvironment.org | E-News Signup
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