Solar Lighting for Rural Intersections

Post time: 2022-06-28 15:47:00

We have recently installed solar street lighting for rural intersections in many Countries, improving safety. Roads are one of the critical areas of need for rural infrastructure.

Does Lighting Improve Intersection Safety?

Studies show that lighting improves intersection safety. A report published by the Transportation Department reviews five separate studies on intersection accidents. They suggest that lighting for rural, at-grade intersections reduces nighttime crashes and their severity. The published research concludes that this lighting resulted in a 25 to 50 percent reduction in the night crash rates.

At night in rural areas, vehicle headlights are the only source of lighting for roadways. Roadway lighting allows for greater visibility of the intersection. It also helps drivers navigate through the intersection by making signs and markings more visible.

The installation of solar streetlights at rural intersections is a low cost and very effective strategy for mitigating nighttime crashes. This strategy should be added to the traffic engineer’s toolbox and agencies should be encouraged to increase the use of streetlights at rural intersections in order to reduce crashes and improve motorist guidance.

What are the Barriers to Lighting Rural Intersections?

The costs for adding lighting to isolated intersections can be high. Installation costs can include long wire runs, trenching and conduit. Ongoing expenses include maintenance and the cost of electric energy. Engineers need to account for the risk of a vehicle hitting the streetlight too.

Solar Lighting for Rural Intersections

Solar lighting for rural intersections is an elegant solution. Because solar streetlights are completely autonomous, installation is fast and easy. And there is no need for extra infrastructure to bring power to the site. This eliminates the need for trenching, conduit, and transmission lines. Breakaway anchor bolt options address concerns about light pole collisions. LEDs and advanced battery options reduce maintenance cost. Because they are solar powered, there is no electric bill either.

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