A small group representing the Borough Traffic Committee, the Bull Run Safe, Clean and Green Committee and the North Ward Working Group met together in mid- December to do a walk through of North Ward alleys.  It's possible you may have seen the article about the activity in the Standard Journal on December 17, "Light Options Pondered for North Ward Alleys."  The idea of the walk through was to get a clearer sense of the relative levels of illumination in the different alleys, in order to put in context various reports from residents of some areas being particularly dark. In fact, there was a range of lighting levels.

The early sunset made scheduling simpler but it was a cold night for a tour.  There was both snow on the ground and considerable moonlight which made it seem brighter, but the idea was to see all the alleys under the same conditions.   We walked fast.

The map shows the route that was followed.  In general, the blocks tend to have a cobra-head light fixture at either end.  Some blocks however, have one or more additional intermediate lights as well.  And, as you move toward Market St, the illumination increases generally, with the walls of buildings along Cherry Alley acting as a lit backstop to that end of the alley.  Conversely, light levels tend to drop further away from Market St as well.

The group did a quick sweep past several alleys on the south side of Market as well and noted that they also seemed to for the most part only have lighting at either end (near the cross-streets).

After speaking with some Citizen’s Electric workers subsequently, we now know that some of the intermediate alley lights mounted on the utility poles were requested by and are also billed to residents, not the town.  The workers were not sure how simple it would be to determine which were which.

Along one alley in the block nearest Market, there were four cobra-head lights, with one seeming to be clearly on private property.  The next block had three lights and the last block two.  Another factor which made the last block different was the overhanging canopy from mature trees.  Because of those, the alley seemed darker.  The group felt that finding out whether an additional light could be placed in the middle would be advisable and wondered whether it would be better to place it lower rather than higher, in order to avoid being lost in the foliage during the summer.

Other alleys were also somewhat shadowed by trees.  It was also noted that some blocks are longer than others, perhaps calling for additional lighting.

The group also discussed the documentary The City Dark which had been shown at the Campus Theatre earlier in the year.  The film points out many of the drawbacks of having incessant illumination throughout the night and the need for true darkness, both for environmental and human health.  It argues for keeping things on the dark side, unless there are specific concerns raised.  It's clearly a balancing act.

General conclusions:  It did seem like some blocks were darker than others.  There are cost implications to recommending additional alley lights.  Installation, so long as wires a relatively nearby is free, but it costs $25/month to run the lights.  We want to be judicious about what we forward to Public Works for consideration.

It was also agreed to schedule a walk through of the Bull Run Neighborhood alleys in January, after the students have returned.  If anyone is ready to brave the cold and dark and would like to participate, please email elmstreet@dejazzd.com or call 570-523-0114.