The best approach for cities to strike a lovely balance between energy conservation and street safety is through smart street lighting.
For both residents and the local government, safety is a key priority. Municipalities are looking for best practices because of their limited financial resources. It is not the best option to simply add more cameras and put more officers on the road.
One of the best instruments for making streets safer is emerging as smart street lighting. Smart street lights are being adopted by more and more places throughout Europe. In addition to enhancing public safety impression and reducing crime, they also aid in reducing energy waste and carbon footprint.
Smart Street Lighting Increases Safety in Public Areas
Smart street lights provide numerous advantages, including increased safety in public areas and energy savings. Smart lighting technology is being used by municipalities all throughout Europe as a means to enhance public safety, discourage crime, help during crises, and provide better services to residents.
Street lights offer the ideal foundation for incorporating smart technology into regular public life without looking intrusive because they are located on every street corner in every city. A smart street light can support a variety of sensors for a range of purposes, including discreetly tracking walkers or vehicle traffic, gathering information on the quality of the air, and enhancing the street’s aesthetics.
Case Study: Chongqing, China
Smart street lights have been installed along the bicycle route in Chongqing China. In the late evening, young individuals can be seen riding bicycles on the path. They felt uneasy because of the dim lighting and uneven terrain.
The local government chose to install motion-sensor based smart street lights that may turn on as soon as a cyclist or pedestrian is seen as a solution to these problems. Multiple nearby street lights turned on to full intensity as soon as a human was identified, not just one. This arrangement increased both the visibility of the road and the impression of safety among walkers and bikers.
Additionally, the street lights dimmed to a very low intensity while nobody was utilizing the walkway, resulting in tremendous energy savings. The local municipal government also observed a considerable decrease in light pollution and carbon emissions.
Additional features of smart street lights
Acoustic sensors, which can detect unwanted sounds in the streets, particularly at night, can be housed in smart street lighting in addition to motion sensors. Municipalities can map out congested areas using the data from these sensors and then develop safety plans based on those maps.
Additionally, smart street lights may be equipped with built-in speakers that cities can utilize to play music to set the mood in public areas or broadcast announcements in case of emergency.
Smart street lighting can be used in conjunction with other technologies like CCTV cameras, seismic sensors, automatic number-plate recognition systems, and many more to benefit city dwellers. Therefore, smart street lighting skillfully combine municipal savings with public safety. Smart lighting is frequently referred to from the standpoint of a city council as a brilliant answer for people, planet, and profit.
