Energy-efficient traffic lights can't melt snow

AP on Yahoo ^ | 12/15/09 | Dinesh Ramde - ap

[NormsRevenge]

MILWAUKEE – Cities around the country that have installed energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs don't burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm — a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.

"I've never had to put up with this in the past," said Duane Kassens, a driver from West Bend who got into a fender-bender recently because he couldn't see the lights. "The police officer told me the new lights weren't melting the snow. How is that safe?"

Many communities have switched to LED bulbs in their traffic lights because they use 90 percent less energy than the old incandescent variety, last far longer and save money. Their great advantage is also their drawback: They do not waste energy by producing heat.

Authorities in several states are testing possible solutions, including installing weather shields, adding heating elements like those used in airport runway lights, or coating the lights with water-repellent substances.

[omega4179]

Best Liberal intentions.... killing as usual.

[jessduntno]

“Cities around the country that have installed energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs don’t burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm — a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.”

Yeah, lets put the world economy in the hands of THESE a$$ssholes...

[NormsRevenge]

I guess they won’t do much to stop glacial ice sheets either when they cover part of the earth the next few years. Oh well, it seemed like a good idea.-)

[digger48]

Liberals excel in unintended consequences.

[wastedyears]

Why is it that Liberal solutions never, ever seem to work right?

[Phrogdriver]

I’ve got a solution...put the old bulbs back in!

[Pajama Blogger]

Global warming needs to be hurried up

[Cicero]

Now they want to add “heating elements”? That’ll save a lot of power!

How about just admitting they made a mistake? It does happen. I might have thought that LED traffic lights were a good idea. Longer lasting, more efficient. But if they don’t work, they don’t work.

[Smokin' Joe]

One of the big reasons those of us in nothern climates heard for getting rid of incandescent bulbs was that of "waste" heat.

Well, here in NW ND, we get roughly 16 hours of daylight in summer (which makes it really hard to get the kids to bed!), and don't use artificial lighting much. In the winter, the situation is reversed (very short days), and any extra heat is a bonus as the mercury drops below zero.

Just one more reason the one-size-fits-all bromides from those who live in warmer climates have no business being national mandates.

[Jim Robinson]

Oops.

[J40000]

Saving MAN-MADE energy...

What a STOOPID concept in the first place!

[reg45]

ACORN will get grants to stand there with scrapers to remove the snow.

[spodefly]

The LEDs use less electricity and last longer than incandescent, but the installation and maintenance of de-icing equipment on every traffic light will increase the carbon footprint by over 20 billion cubic tons of CO2 per year.**

(**The cubic tons CO2 number is based on the FORTRAN I picked up from CRU computer models, so it's good as gold, and not like I made it up or anything.)

[FrankR]

"Authorities in several states are testing possible solutions, including installing weather shields, adding heating elements like those used in airport runway lights, or coating the lights with water-repellent substances."

Let's see now, which used more energy, and incandescent light bulb, or electric heating elements....hummmmm.

I'll agree that the LED's are brighter, and (in good weather) usually easier to see, plus, I would imagine they last a lot longer than incandescents.

People are too quick to jump on the "GREEN" bandwagon without testing, questioning, or at least giving some thought to the consequences.

I think some slick-talking LED salesman just convinced the munincipalities that they would have less changing of the bulbs, and that was all it took...any "energy savings" were just a side perk.

Now, will the environuts come out en masse to protest the electric heaters?

America is getting so damned siily that it's pathetic.

[maine-iac7]

These brain-dead idiots only look at their goal - never at possible ramifications -

on something like this, there needs to be accountability -

start suing the cities that allow these - a couple of good suits and they'll be done

[dfwgator]

The Law of Unintended Consequences - ain’t it a bitch.

[trumandogz]

Those LED traffic lights never melt the snow here in Austin, Texas.

[The Free Engineer]

An electric car is going to work really good when it is -15 too.

[Alberta's Child]

Many communities have switched to LED bulbs in their traffic lights because they use 90 percent less energy than the old incandescent variety, last far longer and save money.

This story misses a very important point. One reason for switching to these LED bulbs is that they ARE safer. Older traffic lights typically have a single bulb for each signal indicator (three bulbs for a traditional red-yellow-green signal head). One advantage of the new lights is that the single bulb in each head is replaced by many smaller luminous LED heads. So instead of having one bulb burn out -- thereby rendering the entire signal indicator dark -- the LED bulbs burn out over a period of time. This allows the signal to continue giving the correct color indicator even if half the LED bulbs are burned out.