November 18, 2008

Re: Mendocino County General Plan Update and draft Environmental Impact Report

Attn: Planning Team. Planning Department, Mendocino County   via email

The below comments concern the General Plan of Mendocino County and its Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

1. General Comments

a. Soft, Impotent Language in Policies
As the most important general comment, there is a very serious and specific problem with the General Plan (GP) as proposed, namely, that most of the policies proposed have no teeth, or in other words, required actions; the vast majority of policies are mere suggestions, but not requirements.   
The action words in the policies are all soft:
    encourage
    promote
    would allow
emphasize
support
shall be considered
should
These words are vapid and will not protect the county and its environment.   They must be replaced with requirements.   

This problem of the weak language in the policies becomes very clear in the EIR, where mitigations refer to the policies found in the GP, but the policies themselves are not requirements, only suggestions.   Thus, the policies in their present form are not mitigations for the environmental problems.   And, as a consequence, there is no adequate mitigation provided.   

b.no mitigationí
A second general comment, there are several locations in the EIR, where it is stated that no mitigation is necessary.   These sections with ëno mitigationí must be examined and fully explained why there is no mitigation required.   In some instances the ëno mitigationí statement appears to derive from an understanding of the world as an ever-expanding source of perpetual resources, with no limitation due to increased impacts of humans , no concern for global warming, and no concern for biodiversity and its encroaching loss due to increases in human activity.

As an example, see the section in the EIR on grading.  This disregard for the viability of our water resources is unacceptable in the 21st century.   Unfortunately, there are several locations with the ëno mitigation necessaryí designation.   Each needs to be seriously considered and explained in terms of global warming and loss of biodiversity that is occurring with increases in human activity.   

Another section is in the light section described in more detail below.  There are other sections.   Each needs to be addressed and explained in detail.  


c. Zoning Designations
The GP maintains the traditional zoning designations of residential and commercial, keeps residential areas away from commercial areas, encouraging and sometimes forcing a transportation system dependent on motorized vehicles.  The new approach is mixed zoning, with small groceries, gyms, small enterprises such as home offices and shops, mixed into residential areas.   Why, in the 21st Century should a child have to be put into a car to go get an ice cream cone or a mom have to drive to a shopping center to get some milk?  The State of California has mandated that new development take global warming and CO2 levels into account.   The traditional zoning designations cannot do that.   

Another problem is the residential zoning designations of R-1, R-2 and R-3.  These designations do not allow mixed residential areas. Generally speaking these zoned areas reduce the heterogeneity of a community and creates too easily social settings with only one income level.†† This in actually is a pattern of forced ghetto-ization.   The problem can be seen in many instances around the Ukiah Valley where there are clusters that are only single-family residences and other clusters with only apartments.††

Apartment dwellers tend to be renters, while single-family houses tend to be home owners.   The apartment people are thus stigmatized and relegated to an inferior social position. Likewise, restricting areas to R-1, creates situations where these residents are in a ësuperiorí position, with their increased income levels and other advantages.   

The better, healthier arrangement is a mixture of housing types, documented in many sociological investigations. † Adequate environmental justice requires that these designations of R-1 and R-2,-3, be adjusted to encourage mixing of residential categories.† Mixing of housing designations is also better in terms of CO2 levels, because with mixed designations, private yards are smaller, while public parks and open spaces are larger.   Thus, one need not drive in a car to play soccer or basketball or go for a walk in a park.   ††
†
As an example, the problems with strict zoning designations are evident in the MU description found in Section Errata #2.†††The MU zoning designation should include not only R-2 and R-3, but also R-1.††† One of the advantages of the MU designation is to have retail near housing, not some housing but all housing.†† Why should someone living in a single-family house be forced to go farther to a grocery store more than someone in an apartment?† ††
††
In summary, zoning designations should be flexible and based on the ëvillageí concept.  They need to be adjusted to the 21st century in the GP and discussed in the EIR as matters of environmental justice and social fabric, global warming, and preservation of open space.  Across the country communities are changing and allowing second units and multiple units retrofitted into the fabric of the traditional R-1 area.   The EIR needs to explain why in Mendocino County would insist on a preservation of the 1950ís lifestyle, while other communities change back to a village.    †† †

2. Noise

Noise is a now recognized as a serious detriment to physical and mental health, disrupting thought patterns and sleep, with significant malevolent consequences. *  

General Plan:  Table C-3 that has no data merely a sentence stating that data will be added before completion of the plan, although data are in the EIR.

The proposed levels for noise are too high.   In a near-by table, the GP states that a sleeping room limit is 45 dBA. night-time limit should be reduced from 50 to 45 dBA.  50 dBA is too loud.   It is the sound of a refrigerator, which most of us would not tolerate in our bedroom. This limit of 45 dBA should also hold for multiple residential housing as well, since there is no reason why noisier nights are appropriate for high-density housing.   (Seems like a slap at the less well-to-do.)  This glaring fact is a typical example of the ëghetto-izationí that takes place with restrictive zoning.   

* Noise pollution as explained in Wikipedia, the free on-line encyclopedia
Noise pollution (or HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment"
environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life. Ö. The word "HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise"
noise" comes from the Latin word HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausea"
nausea meaning "HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasickness"
seasickness", referring originally to nuisance noise.
Thousands of people in Britain and around the world are dying prematurely from heart disease triggered by long-term exposure to excessive noise, according to research by the World Health Organisation. Coronary heart disease caused 101,000 deaths in the UK in 2006, and the study suggests that 3,030 of these are caused by chronic noise exposure, including to daytime traffic. Deepak Prasher, Professor of Audiology at University College London, told the New Scientist magazine: "The new data provide the link showing there are earlier deaths because of noise. Until now, noise has been the Cinderella form of pollution and people haven't been aware that it has an impact on their health." The WHO's working group on the Noise Environmental Burden on Disease began work on the health effects of noise in Europe in 2003. In addition to the heart disease link, it found that 2% of Europeans suffer severely disturbed sleep because of noise pollution and 15% can suffer severe annoyance. Chronic exposure to loud traffic noise causes 3% of tinnitus cases, in which people constantly hear a noise in their ears. Research published in recent years has shown that noise can increase the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenalin in the body, even during sleep. The longer these hormones stay in circulation around the bloodstream, the more likely they are to cause life-threatening physiological problems. High stress levels can lead to heart failure, strokes, high blood pressure and immune problems. "All this is happening imperceptibly," said Prof Prasher. "Even when you think you are used to the noise, these physiological changes are still happening." The WHO came to its figures by comparing households with abnormally high exposure to noise with those in quieter homes. It also studied people with problems such as coronary heart disease and tried to work out if high noise levels had been a factor in developing the condition. This data was then combined with maps showing the noisiest European cities. According to the WHO guidelines, the noise threshold for cardiovascular problems is chronic night-time exposure of 50 decibels (dB) or above - the noise of light traffic. For sleep disturbance, the threshold is 42dB, for general annoyance it is 35dB, the sound of a whisper. Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Our world is undoubtedly getting busier and noisier. Some people find noise pollution more stressful to live with than others do. Noise cannot directly kill us, but it may add to our stress. Occasionally, stressful events can trigger a heart attack in someone with underlying heart disease. We know that stressed people are more likely to eat unhealthily, exercise less and smoke more, and these can increase the risk of developing heart disease in the first place."

3. Light

The EIR implies that an increase in nighttime lighting and glare is an acceptable consequence of the future of Mendocino County.   Where it states there may be a problem, it refers to the policies of the GP as appropriate mitigations.   The mitigations themselves, however, are part of the soft language of the GP and provide no protection what so ever.   

In the EIR, Impact 4.1.2 states that light increases will not be a significant impact. The more we have learned about the health effects of glare and nighttime lighting, the more we realize that these impacts are serious.

Thus Impact 4.1.2 must be changed to read:   
Increases in daytime glare and nighttime lighting and illumination levels must be considered a significant impact.   

a. Nightlight and Human Health
Nighttime lighting is a serious human health problem, which must be included in the GP and the EIR.   Most of us sleep better in the dark.   Sleep is important for good mental health, but also for physical health.   As an example of the negative effects of nightlight on physical health, there are now many studies that demonstrate that a specific hormone released during the night plays a major in protecting the body from diseases such as cancer, especially hormone-dependent cancers, but other cancers as well.  Breast cancer is the best documented in these studies, but surely in the next few years studies will show that prostate cancer, another hormone dependent cancer, is equally affected by nightlight.

And, although breast cancer is horrible disease and a killing one, prostate cancer eventually affects almost 100% of the male population.  The night-released hormone, melatonin, is inhibited in its release by nightlight.   In other words, the inhibitor of disease is inhibited by nightlight.   

By the way, dark skies are not just healthier for humans, but for all animals.

For the health of the population of Mendocino County, the GP must include a section on health and nightlight.   It is time that Mendocino County reduce existing levels of nightlight and educate its population about the harmful effects on human health.  It is imperative that the GP not merely discuss nightlight as a given and provide only restrictions on future development.   To protect the mental and physical health of the Mendocino population and mitigate the future development, the EIR must require that nightlight restrictions must be for future development and retroactive.

One laymanís description of the problem of breast cancer and light is appended below.   Other studies are included as attachments and should be included within this comment letter.   

b. Nightlight and the Universe
The benefits of dark nights to our understanding of the universe and our earth must be included in the GP.  If we as grandparents got to have dark skies, why should we deny that to future generations?   How can one expect to grow up and know about the earth and its universe without seeing the night sky?   Why should a child in Mendocino County be deprived of a sky of stars and planets?   Why should a college student be forced to understand our universe and others by only seeing a photograph of the night sky?   

c. Nightlight and Crime
Numerous studies have shown that nightlight either does nothing to reduce crime or increases crime and criminal activity.    

The ineffectiveness of nighttime lighting in terms of criminal behavior must be explained in the GP. .   In fact, nightlight can increase criminal activity.   The GP must review the findings of studies showing this fact and provide means for crime reduction that do work.   Other, effective means to reduce criminal activity at night must be explained.  

A comprehensive source of information about nightlight and crime can be found at www.darksky.org.   The issue of nightlight and crime must be in the GP and its EIR.   

The GP and EIR should refer to the following document that has specific recommendations:
:
PREVENTING CRIME: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T, WHAT'S PROMISING

A REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS
1997
Prepared for the National Institute of Justice
By Lawrence W. Sherman, Denise Gottfredson, Doris MacKenzie, John Eck, Peter Reuter, Shawn Bushway, in collaboration with members of the Graduate Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland

This report can be found at the below website.
http://www.ncjrs.gov/works/

A second shorter study is appended at the end of these comments.   

d. Nightlight and Incarcerated Criminals.   One big source of nightlight in the Ukiah Valley emanates from the County Jail.   In view of the health issues regarding nightlight, as a matter of environmental justice, those serving in our jails must be protected from nightlight.   Recidivism is a real problem in the society in the United States.   Surely, it is in the best interests of society that those incarcerated persons be allowed to have a dark night for sleep.  We cannot incarcerate criminals, only to return to their original behavior when released after serving their time.  Their mental and physical health while incarcerated very important to society as a whole and to our community in Mendocino County.   Criminals should be incarcerated, but not abused.   

This issue must be discussed in the GP and its EIR in order that places where people are ëin recoveryí whether it be jail or a hospital or another care facility be allowed the health standards of the rest of the individuals in the society.      

e. Billboards and Digital Billboards.   
Billboards along roadways increase incidental nightlight significantly and are distracting for motorists.   One need only drive though so many areas with multiple billboards to experience how distracting and unsafe they are.   They take a driverís attention away from the road.   They make other objects along the roadway less easy to spot, a deer, a tire, a hitchhiker, a dog or a ladder.   

Digital billboards are especially egregious.   They are on their way up Highway 101.   They produce severe traffic hazards and cause great increases in incidental nightlight.   

Billboards must be addressed in the GP and discussed in the EIR, in general aesthetics and in the section on nightlight.   There can be no excuse to wait billboards are a worse problem.   If a visitor to the area cannot ëfind somethingí---a motel, a restaurant, or gas station, there are standardized, state-approved signs that have carefully downward deflected light that can be used on the highways and other roadways.   As to digital billboards, they too should not be excluded for consideration in the GP and EIR ìuntil they come to ëour county.íî  They need to be stopped now before they get here.   There is one digital billboard already.   The GP must have a policy that will make billboards come into conformance with good nightlight policies.   

f. New Low Wattage-High Lumen Bulbs.
The general public seems unaware about the problems with new low energy use/high performance lighting.   The GP must provide policies specific to lumen output for nighttime lighting.   The EIR must discuss this issue and provide a table explaining lumen output of traditional incandescent lumen output versus the output of mercury-vapor based lighting.   A table of incandescent lumen output is added as an attachment.   

g. Summary of Nightlight in the GP and EIR.
In the GP, Policy RM-130 needs to be re-written with the declarative to provide more environmental protection and add in a prohibition on digital billboards.   

Suggested re-write:
Policy RM-130: The County will protect the qualities of the nighttime sky and reduce energy use by requiring that outdoor nighttime lighting is directed downward and reduced to the level necessary for safety and convenience and not allowing digital billboards.   For adequate mitigation, these requirements will be retroactive.   

h. Glare
Glare increases sun-damage to the retina, in turn increasing the likelihood of cataracts and macular degeneration.   Glare also increase the heat of the environment.   Glare reduction policies must be included in the GP, and glare as a contributor to vision deterioration and heat of the environment must be discussed in the EIR.    
:
i. Suggested Changes to the EIR:
without appropriate mitigations, development will result in significant glare and lighting impacts

Daytime glare will be reduced or eliminated by using non-reflective building materials and architectural coatings, roof overhangs, and proper structural design.  Nighttime lighting impacts will be reduced by utilizing lighting designed to control glare and minimize light spillage.  Adhering to dark sky principles, the intensity and density of existing infrastructure will be reduced. New development will be similarly regulated to dark sky standards to effect substantive reductions in stray light and glare.† Existing infrastructure when undergoing re-modeling or modifications involving a permit will be required to bring lighting into compliance with the principles of dark sky.††Nighttime Safety and security should be achieved by means other than lighting.   Lighting for production will be carefully controlled for maximum incidental light production.

Policy DE-87 emphasizes the reduction of excessive artificial light and off-site light impacts; nighttime safety and security will be achieved by means other than lighting. Light for night productivity will use shielding and be restricted to only times of production.  


Appendix for Above Comments

I. Nightlight and Cancer-a laymanís description

from:
 HYPERLINK "http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060114.wxcancer0114/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060114.wxcancer0114/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/

Link found between light, breast cancer
 MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
January 14, 2006 at 2:13 AM EDT

The high rate of breast cancer in industrialized countries has long puzzled medical researchers, but a team of U.S. scientists has discovered a possible explanation for why women in developed countries are at high risk of developing the disease.

 The answer at first glance may seem unlikely: nighttime exposure to electric lighting.

 In a major breakthrough, researchers have linked exposure to light at night to the growth in breast-cancer tumours. The tumours grew because artificial light interfered with the ability of women to create melatonin, the hormone that regulates the body's daytime and night rhythms.

 The discovery holds major public-health implications because most women in industrial societies turn on lights at night in their homes and offices and may potentially be at risk from this exposure.

ìLight, in terms of our experiments, stimulates breast-cancer growth activity, and obviously this is due to the ability of light to shut off melatonin production,î said David Blask, a scientist with the Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown, N.Y., who led the team that made the discovery.

He said, ìmelatonin puts cancer cells, in particular breast-cancer cells, to sleep at night,î but if the levels of this hormone are diminished by exposure to light at night, cancers ìbecome insomniacsî and grow all the time.

 In recent years, there has been a flurry of research suggesting light at night may be a health hazard, causing illnesses ranging from chronic fatigue to depression.

 But until now, there has only been circumstantial evidence linking it to breast cancer. For instance, women who regularly work overnight ìgraveyardî shifts have been found to have an elevated incidence of the disease, in some cases up to 60 per cent higher than those who work regular day shifts.

This new research, outlined last month in the journal Cancer Research, is the first experimental evidence to show that light at night can have an effect similar to a cancer-promoting chemical.

ìElectric lighting as a driver of the breast-cancer epidemic worldwide ó that's a dramatic big thing, and new,î said Richard Stevens, an epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut who has studied the health risks of light pollution.

 The U.S. National Institutes of Health, which financed the study, hailed the results and said they offer ìa promising new explanation for the epidemic rise in breast-cancer incidence in industrialized countries like the United States.î

Les Reinlib, a program administrator for the agency, said the discovery may hold promising avenues for preventing breast cancer with simple steps, such as changing women's exposure to light at night. He also said that melatonin, an inexpensive and widely available hormone supplement, should be studied to see whether it holds promise as an anti-cancer therapy.

 Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with about 21,600 new cases diagnosed annually. About 5,300 women die each year of the disease.

Dr. Stevens said the high breast-cancer incidence in industrialized countries, at about five times that of poor countries, has long intrigued researchers. ìWe have what I would call an epidemic of breast cancer and we don't know why,î he said.

 Studies into possible explanations, such as the high-fat Western diet, pesticides, or industrial pollutants, have generally been inconclusive, suggesting that there is something else that is ubiquitous in affluent countries that is causing the disease.

Breast cancer is linked to genetics, early menstruation, and reproductive history, among other things, but about 60 per cent of those with the disease have no currently known risk factor.

The researchers found that melatonin plays a key role in inhibiting the growth of breast-cancer tumours. Melatonin is produced in the brain's pineal gland, guided by cues from the retinas in the eyes, and circulates in the blood. The hormone is produced only when it is dark, beginning at nightfall, with production peaking in the middle of the night, and then shutting off during the day. When people are exposed to light at night, the body thinks it is daytime and melatonin formation stops.

 To track melatonin's impact, Dr. Blask's team implanted human breast-cancer tumours in rats, then isolated the tumours so they were fed blood from a single artery and drained by only one vein. They then pumped blood from premenopausal female volunteers through the cancer cells.

Melatonin-rich blood drawn from women who were in darkness markedly suppressed the growth of the tumours. But when the women were exposed to fluorescent light at night, causing their melatonin levels to drop, tumour growth took off. Tumour growth also increased when the breast-cancer cells were exposed to melatonin-deficient blood collected during daytime.

The melatonin-rich blood was drawn from women at 2 a.m., after two hours of complete darkness in an office room. They were exposed to 90 minutes of bright, fluorescent office-style lighting, after which another blood sample, this one with low melatonin, was taken. The daytime blood sample was taken from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a period when melatonin levels normally fall because of exposure to sunlight.

 The experiment represented as close to a human test as possible without actually using women as test subjects, something that would be impractical and unethical. But because the tests were conducted using human blood and human cancer cells, the scientists feel certain the experiment indicates what is happening in women.

Although the research is considered a breakthrough, it has limitations. For one thing, it didn't indicate what levels of lighting are safe. The bulb used in the experiment was an ordinary fluorescent office light, but the brightness of the light was high ó about the amount used at a drafting table.

Researchers have found that almost all electric lighting has some melatonin-dampening effect, but they have yet to work out a dose-response relationship for cancer cells.

Nor did the study address what initially causes women to develop cancer cells. Scientists believe almost everyone generates some cancer cells during their lives, but the immune system manages to contain the aberrant cells before they develop into dangerous tumours.

 In a separate test, the U.S. researchers found that melatonin blocks the growth of liver tumours in rats, suggesting a far wider impact than on breast cancer alone. Many researchers suspect that the incidence of prostate cancer, a disease in men in industrialized countries that has had the same explosive growth as breast cancer among women, might also be linked to light pollution.

Dr. Blask said melatonin has a beneficial effect because it literally starves the cancer of material needed to grow. It blocks the absorption into cancer cells of a compound contained in polyunsaturated dietary fat, from foods such as corn oil, that spurs tumour growth.

He speculated that light at night causes a melatonin deficiency, allowing breast-cancer cells to proliferate fast enough to gain the upper hand over the body's defences.

ìMelatonin is a layer of protection that you have at night,î Dr. Blask said.

ìWhen you have enough light present to suppress it, you lose ó you eliminate ó that layer of protection.î

 © Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
globeandmail.com and The Globe and Mail are divisions of CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc., 444 Front St. W., Toronto, ON† Canada M5V 2S9
Phillip Crawley, Publisher

II. Light and Crimeóa laymanís description

From:
http://calgary.rasc.ca/lp/crime.html

Light Pollution Abatement Site
Calgary Centre
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

Light and Crime

Fear of increased crime is the most significant concern expressed by people when asked about reducing light pollution. It is commonly believed that nighttime lighting reduces crime, yet studies of crime conclude primarily that only our fear of crime is reduced. Although there is an overwhelming view that all-night lighting prevents crime, crime data do not show a strong relationship between lighting and crime rate.

The belief that lighting reduces crime is widely held and this and related issues have been examined in many places over the past few decades with some surprising results.

Numerous investigations of the supposed relationship of light and crime have been undertaken are listed at HYPERLINK "http://www.darksky.org/links/crsesali.html"
http://www.darksky.org/links/crsesali.html and HYPERLINK "http://members.aol.com/ctcadman/LiteLynx.htm#crime"
http://members.aol.com/ctcadman/LiteLynx.htm#crime.

A test in West Sussex, UK showed crime went up in lit areas. In certain test areas, all-night lighting was installed; other areas were kept as control areas. West Sussex Police monitored the crime patterns for comparison with the previous year in both test and control areas and polled residents about their perceptions and the affects of the all-night lighting.

Polling results confirmed people thought lighting prevents crime and most residents felt safer after the all-night lights were installed. Crime statistics, though, showed a 55% increase in crime in the test areas as compared to the control areas and to the county as a whole! West Sussex has subsequently decided against all-night lighting.

And there's another surprise: Police report that such darkness is often safer. That's partly because neighbors soon learn to alert police if they see any lights on in a building. There's even less graffiti because it's usually lighted walls that attract the spray-can vandals, not dark ones.

The San Diego police have gone on record indicating they see no real influence of lighting source on crime levels. Commonly, people's perception about what lowers the risk of crime is not based the facts of the situation.

Vandalism and graffiti have been successfully reduced in many American schools with the HYPERLINK "http://www.darksky.org/infoshts/is054.html"
 Dark Campus Policy that was begun in San Antonio in the 1970s. Vandalism and graffiti-and the associated cost of repairs-dropped immediately when "security" lights were removed or turned off.

The City of Calgary Police Service has also concluded that when and where crimes occur are not related to the amount of darkness available. Calgary crime statistics show that most break-ins occur when a property is unoccupied (homes during the day; businesses at night, despite "security" lights). Assaults generally occur between individuals who know each other and they usually involve drugs, alcohol, or past differences.

Many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States have attempted to understand the relationship between lighting and crime. A comprehensive study was recently concluded by the US National Institute of Justice (HYPERLINK "http://www.ncjrs.org/works/wholedoc.htm"
 Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising), A Report To The United States Congress, 1997). It used data from existing reports primarily from The United States and The United Kingdom. Social and physical factors and the full spectrum of crimes were considered. The study was critical of most studies because they tend to have poor experimental design. However, the overall conclusion about lighting is: "We may speculate that lighting is effective in some places, ineffective in others and counter productive in others. The problematic relationship between lighting and crime increases when one considers that offenders need lighting to detect potential targets and low-risk situations."

Several British studies have followed proper scientific methodology. A comprehensive study of 100,000 crimes in an inner London area with a high crime rate sought to determine whether new street lighting reduced crime . 3500 new streetlights were installed. While residents felt safer, the principal conclusion was ". . . that no evidence could be found to support the hypothesis that improved street lighting reduces reported crime."

And what about the criminal's perspective? The Home Office Crime Prevention Unit in London interviewed over 300 experienced burglars and robbers about what influenced their decision to commit a crime . Opportunity, proximity and "the excitement of risk taking" were the reasons given. Even the presence of neighbours and the possibility of intervention by passers-by were routinely considered in their decisions. However, the presence of potential witness wasn't a deterrent since the perpetrators knew witnesses would commonly take no notice or, if they did, no action. It was clear, too, that offenders were not necessarily influenced by lighting conditions. The only truly powerful deterrents cited were signs of occupancy and to a lesser extent, dogs and alarms.

"Security" Lighting

Lighting supposedly militates against crime because it enhances surveillance. Lighting that draws attention to would-be crimes might be a deterrent, as long as there are potential witnesses. Motion-sensor activated lights, with a short duration, will do this much better than lights that are left on constantly (this is the same logic as the common auto alarm-it turns on to call our attention to a potential problem and to startle the would-be criminal). However, lighting, accompanied by public vigilance (i.e. looking out for your neighbours) and greater police presence may be more effective.

Concern for property and personal safety is a natural outcome of the society that we live in. While crime rates are generally dropping, we do need to be aware of the possibility that "it could happen to me." For many people at night, the fear for personal safety is entwined with another fear, that of darkness. These two separate concerns are so often treated as a single item, that it can be tough to imagine them apart. The fear of darkness is something we have lived with since we were small children wondering what or who was lurking under the bed or in the closet. This irrational fear of the dark distorts our legitimate concerns about personal safety - to the point that a brighter light is falsely viewed as making an area safer than a dimmer one could.

A whole industry has sprung up around "security" lighting, feeding on the public's fear of darkness, foisting poorly designed, glare-prone, overly bright light fixtures on a public that has blended its justifiable concern for property and personal safety with a misplaced fear of darkness. Feelings about darkness are so entrenched that the words "security lighting" are accepted unquestionably as a positive description of these light fixtures. Yet, think about the very similar "security blanket." This conjures up images of youngsters with a misplaced faith in the protective properties of their favourite "blanky" or Charles Shulz's famous Peanuts' character, Linus, and his indispensable fabric. Remember laughing at the trouble Linus' "security blanket" got him into with the rambunctious Snoopy? Charles Shulz loved to remind us of the difference between belief and actuality with these antics.

"Security" lighting is primarily about making the purchasers feel better - not necessarily improving their odds with criminals. For these reasons, the design of "security" lights involves the use of glary bulbs - people need to see the light bulb in order for it to make them feel safer. Not BE safer, but FEEL safer. If the bulb was hidden and unobtrusive (as it would be in a responsibly designed light fixture) and of a much lower brightness than what are provided with most "security" lights, it would provide better illumination. It would do so by not forcing our pupils to constrict and by not creating strong contrasts in the amount of light in one part of the yard to another. Responsible illumination can enhance surveillance - which does have an impact on crime and safety. Light can have an impact on crime only if someone is likely to be watching. A report by the City of Calgary Police Service cautions that too bright of a light may deter surveillance and actually aid criminal activity.

So, "security" lights do not replace human vigilance. "Security" lights can create a false sense of security, and poorly designed "security" lights can obscure criminal activity, both of which may ultimately be detrimental to a person's safety.

How to Light Responsibly For Safety

How often do you listen to or even hear a ticking clock? We tend to tune out all-night lights after a while, just like we tune out a ticking clock. Once this happens, "security" lights will not draw the attention of potential witnesses. This can be fixed motion detector lights.

Instead of dusk-to-dawn "security" lights, use motion-sensor activated lights. Motion sensor lights enhance surveillance by drawing attention to trespassers. This is the same logic as the car alarm or barking dog-the sensor turns lights on to call attention to a potential problem and to startle the intruder. Be sure to aim the sensor downward to guard only the area the lights illuminate.

Let's face it, everyone knows that motion sensor lights turn on whether someone is home or not. They simply do not fool potential criminals into thinking someone just turned on the light. The goal with these lights is to draw attention to activity, not create the illusion that someone is home.

Understanding the proper role and goal of security lighting (think task lighting) allows you to purchase the correct motion sensor model for your setting, as well as properly set its options (sensitivity, duration and aiming of both sensor and lights). We like motion sensor lights with the following features.
    ï     Interchangeable bulbs. Normal operations require illumination equivalent to 25 to 60 watt incandescent bulbs, avoid the power-hungry 75 watt, or worse the 100 to 500 watt halogens bulbs. Choose to not overlight - you'll just create a bright "island" near the light fixture and by contrast, unlit areas will become inky black, hiding things you could have seen without the bright light on.
    ï     Shields for the bulbs. This puts the light where you need it and reduces glare. Motion sensor "carriage light" fixtures are poorly-designed to direct light where it is needed and keep it away from where you don't want it to shine. This type of fixture requires you to choose shielded bulbs (director or mini spotlight types if the base of the bulb is going to be up, or half-mirrored designs if the base of the bulb is down. Remember, glare always reduces visibility.
    ï     Motion detector that can be aimed and sensitivity adjusted. You don't want the light coming on to announce stray cats across the alleyway or joggers on the far side of the road. Your neighbours will soon resent the "service" you are offering. Most "carriage light" fixtures do not have motion detectors that can be aimed and thus are more likely to lead to problems.
    ï     Adjustable timer. The idea is that it is the light coming on that attracts attention. Once the light is on, its usefulness diminishes the longer it stays on. Set the light to remain on for 2 to 5 minutes, or however long it takes you to unload groceries from the car. A strobe effect is annoying to your neighbours and can minimize a light's usefulness for other purposes, so don't set the timer too short, either.

Be careful with too much of a good thing. Just as a car alarm works well when it comes on only occasionally, or a normally quiet dog starts barking, motion sensor lights should be set to light only when real intrusions occur. No one wants to live next to an irresponsible car owner with a hair trigger alarm that is constantly wailing, or a dog that won't shut up ("just steal the car already, and get it out of my neighbourhood. And will someone shoot that dog!?"). Similarly, motion sensor lights that turn on whenever anyone walks down the sidewalk, or drives down the street or laneway, will be more of an annoyance to your neighbours than an aid to your safety.

Remember, the purpose of the light is to draw attention and aid in illuminating what's happening. Too bright lighting that shines at your neighbours' windows will just ensure that they will never see anything ("A description of the culprit, officer? All I saw was a bright, glowing orb. No, I couldn't tell if his hair was brown, or even if he had hair."). Instead, think Block Watch; look out for your neighbour and don't take away the opportunity for them to watch out for you.