  Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 453 Registered: 09-2004 |
Downtown needs better lighting By BILL MCGRAW • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • December 22, 2008 Opening day for the new Doubletree Guest Suites Fort Shelby was a fine moment for the west side of downtown. The hotel, at First and West Lafayette, was functioning and lovely Dec. 15 after a $90-million renovation. The street was paved with fresh asphalt. Hockey fans walked past the big windows en route to Joe Louis Arena nearby. One of the only downers: the streetlights. A lot of them in the area don't work, and that's a problem. Nothing says urban dysfunction more than broken streetlights, and the thought of visitors walking around bathed in dark shadows should seem unsettling for a city that is eager to redefine itself as a convention center. I've been paying attention to the streetlights over the past two cold-weather seasons, when quitting time always falls after dark. And I don't recall many nights when all the lights worked in the neighborhood, which is roughly bounded by the Lodge Freeway, Fort Street, Howard and First. That area also includes Wayne County Community College District, WDIV-TV (Local 4), the Free Press and Detroit News, Fort Street Presbyterian church and street parking spaces for fans going to Joe Louis Arena. On recent nights, about 35% of the lights have been on the blink, or, in one case, blinking. Around the new hotel, two lights on First, just a few feet outside the first-floor bar and restaurant, haven't worked in weeks. One light next to the hotel on Second, midway between Fort and Lafayette, goes on and off, though it's mostly off. Detroit's streetlighting system has been an issue for years, of course, just like all cash-starved city services. Most of the time, the complaints focus on residential neighborhoods, but downtown certainly has its dark sides, too. Stan Topolewski, interim director of the Department of Public Lighting, said many of the city's 88,000 streetlights are aging, and some of the wiring is 40 to 60 years old. Scrappers caused an estimated $5 million in damage in 2007. And, like all city departments, PLD as it is called, is hampered by a lack of funds. Topolewski said in some cases, all his employees can do is patch. And in other cases, "we're just putting patches on patches." Last week, the city included $193 million to upgrade the streetlighting system in a $571-million wish list for a possible spending package under the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama. The emphasis is on "wish" and "possible." It's hardly a sure thing. But an interim director can dream, can't he? Topolewski said he would use the $193 million to rewire circuits and convert the 18,000 or so mercury vapor lights to sodium vapor, which is necessary because federal rules have outlawed mercury vapor transformers, and the city can no longer buy them. "Eventually, we're going to run out," Topolewski said. Topolewski said his department's goal is to have 95% of the lights working by the end of this year. "We're close to that goal," he said. He was not laughing, but added: "I know a lot of people would dispute that." Topolewski acknowledged the department has no "giant computer in the sky" or even inspectors to gauge how many streetlights are off on a given night. He and his employees rely on residents' complaints to estimate the number of broken lights. The lighting department has between three and five crews to replace burned-out bulbs on any given day. Topolewski said PLD employees will have repaired or replaced more than 15,000 individual lights in 2008. Since I've been paying attention to streetlights, I've noticed some wacky behavior. Some lights stay on all day, for instance. Topolewski said that is a sign of a defective photo cell, and when it fails, the light stays on. "We feel it's better when the light is burning day and night than not at all," he said. And what about that light that goes on and off that I can see from my desk? Is it taunting me? No. Topolewski said such behavior indicates a sodium vapor light is failing and needs to be replaced. Do you know a light that blinks, stays on all day or doesn't go on at all? Topolewski said to call the city's 311 number. A backup number is 313-224-0500. I'm dialing now. I reported bad lights on three streets: First, Second and Third. My call-back numbers are 08240574, 575 and 576. Topolewski said you should wait at least a week before calling back if no crew shows up. I'm looking forward to watching the PLD in action. The happy ending: The PLD trucks were observed in the area before Christmas. And the result was more streetlights shining the night away, with a few more waiting for help. Contact BILL McGRAW at bmcgraw@freepress.com. Article Link: http://www.freep.com/article/2 0081222/COL27/812220324/1081 | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1589 Registered: 11-2005 |
If you light it, they will come? | ||
Detroit313 Member Username: Detroit313 Post Number: 766 Registered: 02-2006 |
That's sad.  <313> | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 6227 Registered: 12-2005 |
In the hardcopy version they spelled streetlight "streelight"" in the title of the continuation. How embarrassing. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 1592 Registered: 11-2005 |
"In the hardcopy version they spelled streetlight "streelight"" in the title of the continuation. How embarrassing." Meh. Typos happen to the best of us. I'm willing to let them have a pass, especially with all the buyouts and layoff stuff hitting lately. As more and more people cancel subscriptions to get it for free online, you get what you pay for. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 6228 Registered: 12-2005 |
It was the hardcopy, not the online edition. It was in the more conspicuous title not the body. It could have been caught by a simple spellchecker. True, a typo is secondary to the story itself. I'm just saying there's room to improve.  | ||
Wilus1mj Member Username: Wilus1mj Post Number: 283 Registered: 05-2005 |
There has to be a better system being done in other large cities...can't they utilize LED technology to help lower energy costs or would they to buy completely new light posts?? | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1657 Registered: 07-2004 |
I've noticed the same situation around the Westin Book Cadillac. Along Michigan Avenue from Washington to Griswold there are about seven lamp posts with lights out. Some of those are lamp posts with double lights, and therefore two lights are out on the same lamp post. Honestly, this just looks bad for a city that's touting the rebirth of an old hotel that they want people to come and see. It must make visitors wonder what city government is doing for the rest of the city. It makes me wonder too. | ||
Bobl Member Username: Bobl Post Number: 305 Registered: 07-2008 |
In the 1960's, if a street light was out for more than 48 hours after it was reported, heads would roll. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 995 Registered: 07-2007 |
"There has to be a better system being done in other large cities...can't they utilize LED technology to help lower energy costs or would they to buy completely new light posts??" There was talk about the city getting out of the lighting business. Out here in Novi, there's no lighting department. It's handled by Detroit Edison. Why not the same in Detroit? LED lights would require new fixtures. You might be able to retrofit them but you're probably looking at new poles too. They are more expensive starting out but would probably pay off in the long run. Detroit's problem is that they can't even keep the existing lights on. | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 455 Registered: 09-2004 |
Royce, you mentioned the new lampposts on the Michigan side of the Westin B-C. Those have been going up at a painfully slow pace since the building opened and I don't think they've ever been lit once. They may not even be wired to operate yet. When the building opened in October, three of those 7 poles were up, and only one had the lamp fixture on the top with the globes, etc. Now (I think), they've got all the poles and globe assemblies in place, but still no lights. I can't understand it! | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 456 Registered: 09-2004 |
When I think about it, one of the poorest lit stretched of road in the city is Fort Street. Aside from the short stretch of this road in downtown out to about WCCCD, this road is more dark than lit at night. From Trumbull down to about Southwestern HS, a good 1/3 to 1/2 of the lights just don't exist, either from collisions or from new sidewalks put in and then lights no replaced. Of those that are there, many have been damaged and bent, and there's no way 100% of them light up at night. From Southwestern down to the Rouge Drawbridge, many of the lights date from 1916 or before, and many have had half ass modernization jobs over the years, and don't work either. That whole section of road needs a uniformed lighting upgrade. |
