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Road/Bikeway lighting: Color / Color Temp / CRI / TM30 ?

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Road/Bikeway lighting: Color / Color Temp / CRI / TM30 ?

Old 10-06-21, 05:22 AM
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CrankyOne
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Road/Bikeway lighting: Color / Color Temp / CRI / TM30 ?

I'm trying to better understand the effect of light quality on depth perception (and perhaps comfort and eye strain). For instance, for lighting crossings in a road junction or lighting a bikeway - what qualities are important for people to be able to see obstructions clearly?

Seemingly Cool/Blueish is worst and Warm/Redish the best? But a warm 2200k with low R9 or R10 might not be so good?

Some bikeways in The Netherlands are lit w/ a slight greenish tint and this is surprisingly comfortable on eyes and seemingly provides good depth perception.

Surprsingly I have not been able to find much in the way of studies on this.


Thanks,
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Old 10-19-21, 11:57 PM
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In the past, low power sodium lamps were used giving a yellowish tint. But, apparently not the best lighting, although one question might be how much various types lighting impacts the eye's dark adaptation. Yellow lights don't seem to be that distracting.

In my house I have had issues with slight color variations of socks. Almost impossible to discern in dim light, but mistakes are obvious in sunlight.

My interpretation is that one should choose multi color emitters (RGB) rather than monochromatic emitters.

As far as bad bike path lighting. The worst was along a median strip local bike path. Lots of short lamp poles with lamps without shades. Bright white lights everywhere!!! Cars, lamps, etc... all in a cyclist's face.

For riding, I frequently would prefer darkness and to depend on my lights... except, of course, for encountering pedestrians or cyclists without lights, no reflectors, and wearing all black.
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Old 10-20-21, 04:35 AM
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These are the cells responsible for night vision
Hope it helps elucidate some of these (very important) questions..
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Old 10-20-21, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by holytrousers
These are the cells responsible for night vision
Hope it helps elucidate some of these (very important) questions..
Interesting thoughts to look at cones/rods.



So, the rods are most sensitive to cyan/green light, and not particularly sensitive to red (which is a reason why red isn't the best color for night visibility).

However, one doesn't see by emitted light, but rather reflected light.

So, one should choose light that reflects with the most contrast in the given environment.



A unique lighting might be to use BLACK Light!!!
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Old 10-20-21, 02:51 PM
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Color blindness is a lot more common than people realize, especially among males (10% of males, I believe). It's usually an insensitivity to one or more part of the color spectrum rather than all colors. I would think broader spectrum color light would be helpful in this regard.
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Old 10-20-21, 03:26 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
Interesting thoughts to look at cones/rods.



So, the rods are most sensitive to cyan/green light, and not particularly sensitive to red (which is a reason why red isn't the best color for night visibility).

However, one doesn't see by emitted light, but rather reflected light.

So, one should choose light that reflects with the most contrast in the given environment.



A unique lighting might be to use BLACK Light!!!
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Old 10-20-21, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by holytrousers
Laughing about the BLACK Light?

It would make for interesting lighting. That would actually be UV, and makes whites in particular fluoresce.
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Old 10-20-21, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
Laughing about the BLACK Light?

It would make for interesting lighting. That would actually be UV, and makes whites in particular fluoresce.
Yes it would very interesting, but in the same time disastrous
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