Light pollution

[Monika]

Moving on from the thread "Outdoor speakers" which I have just read, what about light pollution from neighbours? We are very lucky in living a relatively quiet village with low level lighting and, certainly, our house is surrounded on three sides by trees and very quiet and dark BUT not 300 metres away, they are building a new estate of 59 dwellings (houses and flats) and we are mainly worried that most of the houses will have security lights, probably barbecue areas in the gardens and with it garden lighting. Not only will this add to the general light pollution (oh, how I long to see the Milky Way again as I did in my childhood!), it will also make it unpleasant for all the area around, we think.

[Johnboy]

Hi Monica,
Oh what a shame. Here in the sticks we have no street lighting and visitors who stay for the weekend generally end up outside stargazing till all hours.
Everybody thinks that the plough is somehow stationary and when we have finished a bottle or two of wine and generally about 2am I take then outside to show them The Plough as a question mark. It is amazing the amount of people who cannot see the stars as they should be viewed due to light pollution.
My latest problem here is that all heavy traffic northbound on the A49 is to be diverted to run past my property for approx 2 months. It is a very busy road 24hrs a day and I fear for the bridge over the Teme which is used to light traffic could suddenly be subjected to anything up to 88 tons. The road is very narrow and has several bottlenecks where two lorries cannot pass each other. I forecast noise, vibration and in fact total mayhem. If there is an accident there are no access points for ambulances and the terrain will not even accommodate Helicopter access. This is due to start on the 25th and we all learned about it on Thursday 14th. Not even the County or Parish Councils had been informed.
A decision taken by the head of traffic on Hereford Unitary Council and the Highways Agency without seeing fit to inform anybody. One really good shower of rain and the road floods in at least 6 places and the road has to be closed. Then what! But at least my problem is not permanent like yours will be.
Not a happy bunny!
JB.

[lizzie]

We have a lot of light polution here, living in the city. I hate not being able to see the stars too. I can watch for hours at a time.

This is why we love going to the moors in Wales so much. Everything is so clear and bright. The kids love it. When we camp Grock and my youngest one are up till midnight sometimes cos they're stargazing. They're all wrapped up in pjs, sleeping bags and blankets, hot chocolate in one hand, camp donut in the other and they look at the sky. Their little faces when they spot something is brilliant, and all for free.

Plus, now i've traced my dads side of the family to having lived on moors in the North Riding, I now know where my love of the moorlands comes from. It must be in the genes after all.

[Chantal]

Monika

Light nuisance was included in the recent "Clean Neighbourhoods Act" and if neighbours have obtrusive security lighting you can do something about it, legally, as you can with noise pollution in fact.

[Jenny Green]

That's interesting to hear. I have a Morrison's depot beyond the recreation ground at the back of my house and the floodlights on the car park are so bright that it looks like dawn all night.
Maybe I can get them with them the Clean Neighbourhood thing.

[sally wright]

Dear Johnboy,
get yourself a deckchair, a beer cooler (with appropriate contents!) and a video camera. With luck you will make enough from the video clips to retire on.
Regards Sally Wright.

[Johnboy]

Dear Sally,
Probably a very good idea 'cos for sure something will happen. Can you imagine that most of the local traffic is tractors with no real room to pass them and on a major road like the A49 the traffic build-up will tail back for miles.
This is all because the National Trust refused to allow a very short length of temporary road to be run across the corner of what is nothing but set aside at present. The NT have got the money to fight it and we would need a Judicial Review costing tens of thousands of pounds which us simple country folk do not have.
Do you know I do not own a deckchair. But I do have a new Digital 10mp Camera with video facility and sound so there is a strict possibility there.
I will have to chill out and see the funny side of it all!
Sincerely,
JB.

[peter]

Johnboy, you do have a tractor don't you?

Have fun, go to town in it at 8mph in rush hour.