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The California Department of Transportation has been involved with the development of LED traffic signal modules for more than a decade. The recent energy crisis played a key role in speeding up the statewide conversion from incandescent lights to LEDs.

Caltrans is one of the largest users of LED traffic signal modules in the world. Since January 1998, Caltrans has purchased more than 230,000 units for deployment at signalized intersections, ramp meters and flashing beacons. This number does not include the 8,000 units deployed prior to 1998 in the Fresno and San Francisco Bay areas of California.

With the current deployments at signalized intersections and ramp meters, Caltrans has dropped its power demand by 10 megawatts and has reduced electrical consumption by 71 million kilowatthours per year. This translates to taxpayer savings of $10 million per year for the California state highway system alone.

Caltrans operates about 10 percent of the traffic signals in California; therefore, the statewide energy savings are far greater if all traffic signals are converted.

The availability of LED traffic signal modules led the California Energy Commission to introduce rules prohibiting the use of incandescent lamps for traffic signal indications on future traffic signal installations.

The energy crisis did play a key role in speeding up the statewide conversion from incandescent lights to LEDs for Caltrans as part of a statewide effort to relieve pressure on the electrical grid. Prior to the crisis, the energy and maintenance savings for Caltrans were more than enough to justify the increased expense of LED modules. The energy crisis accelerated the rate of deployment by about three to four years. The rising cost for energy as a result of the crisis simply increased the economic viability of LED modules. 

Energy requirements and prices for LED modules have decreased. Not using LED modules now is an unwise business practice. 

Caltrans' involvement in LED traffic signal modules began in 1992, when the department's Fresno-area electrical crew supervisor, Gerald Tripp, came across a company with the idea to use LEDs to replace incandescent lamps in red indications. A large eight-phase intersection in the city of Clovis, CA, (near Fresno) was the main reason Tripp looked into LED modules. The newly installed signal in operation at the intersection was too large and often overloaded the electrical system, causing constant signal malfunctions.

One option was to redesign the intersection to allow for the traffic signal, which would have been expensive and would have taken years to finish. Instead, Tripp initially installed eight LED pedestrian signals. This helped, but it was not enough. Tripp knew he needed to find a low-power lamp replacement for the red signals.

After talking with a local supplier, he replaced the red indications at the intersection with LED modules. The overloading problems disappeared. The current draw decreased from more than 50 amps to 14 amps. Tripp also found that energy usage for the intersection dropped significantly-more than anyone expected from simply replacing red indications. In addition, as one would expect, dollar amounts were greatly reduced because less energy was used.

Tripp and his supervisor, Jerry McElroy, began a mission to change traffic signal operations in California. Tripp suggested the idea to Caltrans management and was rewarded for his ingenuity and innovative style through the State of California Merit Award Program.

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Colorado Springs, Colorado is a medium-sized city with 1,931 km (1,200 mi) of streets and 410 signalized intersections in the city's jurisdiction.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are transforming the streets of Colorado Springs into a research laboratory for emerging ITS technologies.

Funding from an Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act program is paving the way for projects that improve traffic management and provide ITS capabilities within the roadway network. The following projects have been initiated:

• Incident detection and management on a freeway and major arterial, incorporating video surveillance, loop detectors, and variable message signs

• Upgrading the signal master intersection control system, improving intersection communications, and incorporating spread spectrum radio technology

• Developing the 470I prom module for type 170 and 179 controllers

• Establishing weather stations

• Installing carbon monoxide monitors
  

Decorative street lighting options include

• lighting bases
• poles
• fixtures
• signals
• bollards
• banner arms
• signs and sign holders
• planting baskets
• mail boxes

Street furnishings that can create a stunning theme for an entire project design.

McCain is one of North America's largest manufacturers and suppliers of traffic signal equipment, systems, and software.

McCain products have earned a strong reputation for quality and reliabilty.  McCain has become the industry leader for traffic technology. At our manufacturing facilities in California, Washington, and Mexico, McCain produces:

• vehicle signals
• pedestrian signals
• traffic controllers and cabinets (NEMA, 170's and 2070's)
• SETCON test equipment for controllers and cabinets

McCain has a strong specialty in the design and manufacture of programmable CMS signs, as well as Illuminated Street Name Signs, and other types of signs. An industry leader throughout North America  and 11 foreign nations, the company’s software division has produced the technology that controls more than 40,000 intersections, and more than 150 sophisticated traffic management systems.  McCain Incorporated has a solid history in the industry as well as a strong record of service backing product innovations.

McCain
(760) 727-8100

2365 Oak Ridge Way
Vista, CA 92081

Keeping people safe on streets, at intersections and even in parking lots requires a variety of vehicle signals, pedestrian signals, traffic controllers and cabinets, programmable CMS signs, and advanced transit management systems.

Not only is safety a concern, but the liveability and beauty of our urban communities are impacted by lights, poles and wires.  Decorative poles and lighting fixtures improve  the  mood of people, both residents and travelers.

Quality pays in long term, low maintenance investment. Parts cast whole or in components and welded together prior to application of finish is a sign of quality.  Connecting hardware made of stainless steel socket head style bolts accessible from outside the base improves easy installation. Finish colors made with TGIC polyester powder coating can extend the life of the installation. LED lights provide lower energy costs and lower maintenance -- a real savings for cash-strapped municipal budgets.

Decorative Lighting installations can feature design and quality construction for savings:
    Ornamental Traffic Signal
    Street Lighting

Management and testing technology for safety includes:

Vehicle signals
Pedestrian signals
Traffic controllers and cabinets
Hardware and software for programmable CMS signs
Amber Alert signs

 

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich announced his city’s participation n the LED City® program, an international program that promotes the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting. This initiative is in conjunction with an energy-related effort calling for the retrofit of all 16,000 municipal roadway lights with high-efficiency LED fixtures.

“I am pleased to announce the appropriation of $2.2 million to enable the city to purchase LED fixtures to change out roughly one-quarter of Anchorage’s streetlights,” notes Mayor Begich. “We have studied new lighting technology extensively over the past several months to validate energy and maintenance cost savings. We also conducted a lighting conference and public survey in March of this year that showed our residents overwhelmingly approve of the new white LED lighting. With this feedback and quantified costs savings research in hand, we are confident in moving ahead with the broad deployment of LED lighting for our roadways.”

The continental US has more than eight hours of daylight per day. Here in Anchorage, approximately 85 days a year we see less than eight hours of daylight.

“Lighting is absolutely critical to daily life in Anchorage. The continental US has more than eight hours of daylight per day. Here in Anchorage, approximately 85 days a year see less than eight hours of daylight. It is significant that this community is at the forefront of adopting energy-efficient lighting,” notes Deb Lovig, Cree LED City program manager. “Cree and the other LED Cities welcome Anchorage into the program and look forward to learning from this large-scale installation as the city pushes forward for energy and maintenance savings with LED lighting.”

The LED fixtures from BetaLED are expected to use 50-percent less energy than current streetlights, which could save the city $360,000 annually at today’s energy prices. The LED fixtures, based on performance-leading Cree XLamp LEDs, typically last up to seven times longer than high-pressure sodium fixtures, allowing Anchorage to better utilize maintenance resources.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 2000 there were 106,000 crashes from running RED LIGHTS, with 89,000 injuries and 1,036 deaths.

Blue lights above traffic signals  are called "tattletale lights" or "red light confirmation lights." Whenever the traffic signal is red, the blue light is on.

Police previously had to testify that a vehicle was in an intersection when it ran a red light.

Now, officers only have to see the blue light to know the vehicle ran the red signal.

Florida Department of Transportation officials are paying for the lights at intersections on state roads in nine Central Florida counties, reported a representative from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Originally, the DOT put up small white lights at a cost of about $100 each. The DOT is switching to less-expensive blue lights, which are LED (light emitting diodes) that run cooler and need less maintenance.

Running a red light in Florida can bring a fine of $188.50.

Violators also face adding three or four points to their driving record, unless they complete a state-approved driver-safety course.

In two recent articles the Daily News reported that the city of Fairbanks, Alaska spent over $880,000 dollars on electricity each year.

HolidayLEDs.com an online retailer specializing in LED Christmas lights and LED decorative lighting is offering to donate energy-efficient LED Christmas lights to the City of Fairbanks to help the city in its efforts to reduce its energy consumption.

I read an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner about the Cities' efforts to reduce its energy consumption and decided we would offer to help

"I read an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner about the Cities' efforts to reduce its energy consumption and decided we would offer to help," said Philip C. Curtis, President of HolidayLEDs.com.

Fairbanks city engineer, Mike Schmetzer, and his energy task force were reported to have set out to figure out how the city could reduce its energy costs. Some of the proposed solutions of the task force including turning off non-critical streets lights and eliminating Christmas light displays.

"Its commendable that the City of Fairbanks is taking a serious look at its energy consumption--we should all be doing this--but Christmas lighting displays are such an important part of the Christmas celebration it would be a shame if the residents of Fairbanks had to eliminate this tradition," Curtis added.

LED Christmas lights are 80-99% more efficient than standard incandescent lights and substantially reduce the cost of operating a holiday display.

"If Fairbanks replaced its incandescent lights with LED Christmas lights the amount of power consumed would be de minimus and we'd like to help the City make the switch by offering to donate four cases of lights to the City," Curtis explained.

Curtis' company shipped a substantial number of LED Christmas lights to the State of Alaska in 2007. "The residents of Alaska have been good customers to us and we are glad that this opportunity arose to help the citizens of Fairbanks," Curtis concluded.

For more information about HolidayLEDs.com and energy-efficient LED Christmas and decorative lighting visit http://www.holidayleds.com.

Future Lighting Solutions is a division of Future Electronics – the 3rd largest electronic components distributor in the world, Future Lighting Solutions is dedicated to the LED lighting industry. With more than 7 years of power LED experience, Future Lighting Solutions is a pioneer in delivering comprehensive, worldwide LED lighting solutions support.

Future Lighting Solutions offers customers LED lighting knowledge, resources, programs, partners, solutions and logistics support, focused on enabling the adoption of LUXEON®-based solid state lighting technology. The have build a team of  LED lighting experts, specialized partners, and have developed an exclusive worldwide relationship with Philips Lumileds Lighting.

Applications served by Future Lighting Solutions include:

LED City Initiative Yields Benefits Beyond Energy Efficiency

When Raleigh, N.C., the first LED City, and Cree, Inc. turned on new  LEDs in the municipal parking garage, people’s opinion of the quality of the lighting improved threefold.

Survey Shows Public Feels Safer in City Spaces Lit by LEDs

Raleigh exchanged the previous garage fixtures and their dull orange light for LED fixtures with bright white light, and people felt safer. The number of respondents who perceived the garage as “very safe” increased by 76 percent after the LED fixtures were installed, according to a survey by Mindwave Research of Austin, Texas.

Cree produces LEDs that provide a new source of energy-efficient light that can serve as the foundation for cost-effective lighting solutions. Lighting Science Group Corporation of Dallas, Texas, supplied the LED fixtures installed in the Raleigh garage.

“LED technology provides a clear benefit to municipal infrastructure, as well as to the citizens it serves,” said Charles Meeker, mayor of Raleigh. “This survey shows that LEDs can do more than improve light quality. In addition to the proven environmental and energy efficiency benefits the city has already documented, the survey shows that LEDs’ bright white light can help improve public feelings of safety in city spaces.”

The survey results showed that the parking garage generated a more positive reaction from most of the respondents after the addition of LED fixtures:

• Both men and women felt significantly safer post-installation: 74 percent rated the garage as feeling “very safe,” while only 2 percent did not feel safe. These figures contrast with the pre-installation numbers: Only 42 percent felt “very safe” with the original lighting, and 13 percent did not feel safe.
• The percentage of respondents who gave the garage an overall rating of “excellent” increased by 100 percent. The number of people who rated it as “poor” decreased from 8 to 1 percent.
• The lighting quality of the garage was “excellent” according to 86 percent of the respondents, a 258-percent increase from pre-installation respondents. The number of people who rated it as “poor” decreased from 18 to 2 percent.
• The cleanliness of the parking garage was perceived as “excellent” by 76 percent of the respondents, while only 58 percent rated it this way before the LEDs were installed, showing a 31-percent increase.

Raleigh agrees to become the nation’s first LED City.

The LED City initiative focuses on installing LED lighting, based on Cree’s energy-efficient LEDs, throughout the city to save energy and money and boost the quality of life for its residents by using the best lighting technology commercially available. As a result, the city has improved the energy savings and lighting of its municipal city parking facility, the first of a series of projects aimed at delivering the environmental and economic benefits of LED lighting throughout Raleigh’s “living laboratory.”

Research Note:
The two surveys of 200 people each were conducted on behalf of Cree, Inc. by Mindwave Research, Inc. The pre-installation survey was conducted November 11-13, 2006, and the post-installation survey was conducted February 5-8, 2007. 

About Cree, Inc.
Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors and devices that enhance the value of solid-state lighting, power and communications products by significantly increasing their energy performance and efficiency. Key to Cree’s market advantage is its world-class materials expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less heat than other available technologies, materials and products.

Cree drives its increased performance technology into multiple applications, including exciting alternatives in brighter and more-tunable light for general illumination, backlighting for more-vivid displays, optimized power management for high-current, switch-mode power supplies and variable-speed motors, and more-effective wireless infrastructure for data and voice communications. Cree customers range from innovative lighting-fixture makers to defense-related federal agencies.

Cree’s product families include blue and green LED chips, lighting LEDs, LED backlighting solutions, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. For additional product specifications please refer to www.cree.com.