Japanese LED traffic lights just too cool when snow falls

Yahoo News ^ | 2/23/15 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

Tokyo (AFP) - Energy-saving LED traffic lights seemed like a cool way to cut back on electricity costs, but Japanese police said Monday they might just be too cool -- because they don't melt snow.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) account for around 45 percent of all of Japan's stop-and-go signals ..

But in wintery northern Japan the lights have encountered a problem -- drivers can't see them because they don't get warm enough to melt accumulated snow.

Akira Kudo of Aomori Prefectural Police said snow has to be removed manually between December and mid-February during blizzards.

"We don't have enough staff members to remove snow as more and more LED lights are being introduced," he said.

[The Duke]

BEST_LAID_PLANS_PING!

[molson209]

We have LED traffic lights and I’ve never noticed any snow buildup and we have no shortage of snow

[KarlInOhio]

Probably it is most efficient to have LED bulbs with an infrared heater for use during cold weather than to go back to incandescent bulbs. Waste heat isn't so wasteful in the winter when it is used to keep the room warm.

[caver]

Unintended consequences......

[Jeff Chandler]

Truck drivers have the same problem with trailer tail lights.

[tophat9000]

Replace the LED’s with laser.. then you can melt the snow and the occasional scofflaw running traffic lights

[hlmencken3]

I have noticed this in Minnesota, but not recently, come to think of it. Must have found a solution.

[BitWielder1]

When our old boiler died, we had to replace it with an "energy efficient" unit.
Sure, it works, but now the basement is so cold we have to have an electric heater on down there to prevent the pipes from freezing.
Unfortunately, the cost of electricity for the heater exceeds the cost of the oil we're saving.

[Ken H]

Solution.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

Heating elements to the rescue! By the way, AUTO MANUFACTURERS NEED TO WAKE UP AND NOT MAKE THEIR LED TAIL LIGHTS SO DARN BRIGHT!!!!!!!!! IT’S ANNOYING, TIRING, BOTHERSOME, UNNECESSARY AND HURTS MY EYES!!!!!!!!!

[RightOnTheBorder]

IIRC Back in the 90’s there was some experimentation with High voltage DC transmission lines. One of the problems was that they did not get hot enough to keep ice off them.

In this case the traffic lights should be an easy fix with a thermostat and a heating element.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Wisconsin had the same problem a few years ago. Heavy snow would fall and they couldn’t see the stop and go lights. Traffic jams ensued!

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Oh! They’d work great in Cleveland!

Bogie

[Don Corleone]

Ahhhhh So!

[ansel12]

I have noticed this in Minnesota, but not recently, come to think of it. Must have found a solution.

It is something they should have thought of, and it is very easy to fix.

[Star Traveler]

Unintended consequences ...

[Rodamala]

AND HURTS MY EYES!!!!!!!!!

The wavelength and strobe frequency that they use for the blue strobe lights in lightbars on police crusiers makes me want to vomit if I look at it for more than 1.3 seconds. I believe that the disorientation those lights cause is BY DESIGN, like those LED "Puke Lights" (look it up), as to facilitate roadside sobriety test failures.

Another thing are those blue LED exterior Christmas lights... whenever I drive past them or simply move my head, I can sense the 60 Hz. flicker... combined with the wavelength it makes me queasy.

[MrEdd]

We have them in north Texas, and they seem to have been an instant hit with yellow jackets. The perfect elevated site to build a nest. So you get a light with a wasp nest silhouette on one of the colors.

[Rio]

Global warming will make this a non-problem soon enough. No more snow.
...unless Japan gets Climate Change instead, in which case they’d have MORE snow.