HomeMy WebLinkAboutStreet Light Policy
CBRM
STREET LIGHT POLICY
Approved by Council on February 19, 2002
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As a general policy, the Cape Breton Regional Municpality shall manage the illumination
of Municipal Public Streets or Roads and Provincial Public Streets or Roads, heretofore
referred to as public streets or roads, within the municipality.
Street lighting shall be managed to aid in the safe passage of motor vehicles on public
streets or roads and pedestrian traffic at street intersections and other pedestrian
infrastructure.
Street lighting shall be managed within the means of the municipality. Therefore, the
intent of the policy is to provide a level of street lighting that is both affordable and
adequate for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
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1. To provide the community and the CBRM with standard guidelines for the
effective and affordable management of lighting of the public streets and roads in
the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
2. To establish consistent warrants to evaluate and respond to requests for new street
light installations within the municipality.
3. To establish consistent warrants to evaluate the repair or removal of vandalized
lights.
4. To establish consistent warrants to evaluate the upgrading of older less efficient
fixtures and subsequent removal of existing lights due to redundancy created by
the new fixture.
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5. Establish consistent warrants to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of
existing streetlighting.
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A streetlight is intended to provide illumination on the public streets or roads of CBRM
in order to aid in the safe and orderly movement of vehicular traffic within the traveled
way and pedestrian traffic on municipally maintained pedestrian infrastructure.
CBRM streetlights are installed exclusively to illuminate public streets and roads and
pedestrian infrastructure. Any secondary benefit such as perceived personal security; or
the lighting of yards, driveways or private property is considered coincidental.
Furthermore, it is beyond the capability of CBRM to provide streetlighting on public
streets and roads for pedestrian traffic where no pedestrian infrastructure exists.
Inclusions: The scope of this policy is limited to the streetlighing which illuminates
public streets and roads and pedestrian infrastructure as defined here:
1. within the public street-right-of-way of Municipal public streets or
roads which are owned and fully maintained by the Cape Breton
Regional Municipality;
2. within the street-right-of-way of Provincial public streets or roads,
with the exception of Provincial 100 series highways.
Exclusions: Excluded from this policy are:
1. streetlights which illuminate Federal 100 series highways and
interchanges;
2. lights which illuminate municipal parks, municipal facilities and
outdoor space other than a public street or road.
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It shall be the responsibility of the Engineering and Public Works Department (EPW) to
respond to requests for new streetlights. The Director of Engineering and Public Works
shall authorize individuals to be responsible to accept, process and respond to such
requests.
Further, EPW shall establish a formal relationship with Nova Scotia Power to ensure that
streetlight work orders are accepted only through officially authorized persons.
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All requests for new streetlights shall be made to authorized individuals. The following
criteria must be considered in evaluation of requests for new streetlights:
5.1. BUDGET APPROVAL
All streetlighting expenditures must conform with approved budgets.
5.2. TRAFFIC SAFETY CONDITIONS
5.2.A
Roadway structures must be visible to vehicular traffic and shall be
evaluated.
example: bridges, railroad crossings and other permanent roadway
infrastructure.
5.2.B
Roadway geometry can be considered in evaluation of a streetlight
request, however, geometry on its own is not a sufficient warrant
for approval of a streetlight request. The geometry must pose a
specific nighttime traffic hazard. Where signage is posted for
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changes in the expected traveled way, and it is deemed by the
Authority that signage alone is insufficient for nighttime traffic
safety, a request for lighting may be evaluated.
example: intersections, and other significant changes in the
expected traveled way.
5.2.C Adjacent infrastructure or street furniture which would increase or
significantly alter the nighttime traffic flow shall be evaluated.
example: CBRM Transit Authority bus stops, Canada Post Super
boxes.
5.2.D Adjacent land uses which generate vehicular and pedestrian traffic
which surpasses the regular volume of nighttime traffic in the area
shall be evaluated.
example: schools, churches, fire stations, commercial
establishments, municipal recreational areas.
5.2.E
Locations of traffic accidents, where the proximate cause of any
such accident was apparently, after police investigation,
determined to be due, either in whole or in part, to inadequate
streetlighting shall be evaluated.
5.2.F
Pedestrian infrastructure shall be evaluated.
example: sidewalks, intersections of sidewalks with public streets
and roads; pedestrian underpasses, crosswalks.
5.2.G
Request for lighting based on density of residential development,
in areas serviced by municipal water and sewer, shall be evaluated
in the context of Section 5.2.1.
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5.2.H
Requests for lighting based on density of development, in areas not
serviced with municipal sewer and water, shall be evaluated where
there is a minimum of three residential dwellings within a radius of
50 meters of the site of the requested light.
Streetlights approved under this provision shall be strategically
located to provide the most effective lighting of the public street or
road within the area of the specified cluster of residential
development.
5.2.1 Distribution and density of existing lighting shall be evaluated. No
new streetlight shall be installed within a distance of 55 metres
( 180 feet) of an existing streetlight, as measured along the utility
pole line of the road. This criteria will prevent the installation of
consecutive lights where they are not warranted by other criteria in
this section.
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Where a Mercury Vapor fixture which has reached or exceeded it's life expectancies, the
fixture shall be replaced with a minimum 100 watt High Intensity Sodium fixture, as
specified in Part 9.
As streetlights are upgraded pursuant to this Part, the distribution and illumination from
other lights in the area of the upgrade shall be evaluated in accordance with criteria for a
new streetlight, Part 5 of this policy.
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Lights in certain areas are subject to repeated vandalism whereby it is no longer cost
effective to absorb the repair costs to reinstate the light as well as bear the rental cost of a
light that is no longer providing service. In such cases where a light is vandalized 2 or
more times in a 12 month period it shall be considered for removal from service.
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Lights which were installed for a specific purpose (ie: road hazard, adjacent
infrastructure, etc.) whereby the original reason for installation is no longer applicable
may be removed from service.
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As a general rule, all new streetlights installed or replaced under this policy shall be a
minimum of a 100W High Pressure Sodium Bulb in a long arm fixture oriented over the
public street or road. The existing utility pole infrastructure shall be used.
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CBRM often receives requests for lighting that has benefit primarily to private property.
Requests for installation of a streetlight for the sole purpose of lighting a private
residential driveway where it leaves or joins the traveled way shall not be accepted within
this policy. Under this policy the illumination of a private driveway is considered to be a
"light of convenience" and shall not be the responsibility of the CBRM. People
requesting such a light shall be encouraged to investigate the benefits of private light
rental.
(ilpproved by Ilegional <=ouncil on February 19, 2002)
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