One recent evening I called police to a disturbance down the street.
The situation escalated; the operator asked for details of the
vehicle, people involved, and what was happening.  However, I could
not make out the license plate, the color, or make of the vehicle, or
the number of people involved even though I was less than a block away!

Why?  Because poor lighting is provided by the globe "street lights" in
my neighborhood.  While the lights shone in my eyes, blinding me (they
shine in drivers' eyes, too), they cast little light upon the
situation that soon summoned six police cars to the scene.  They
cannot be called "street lights" - they are simply wasters of energy.

About 25% of the light from these fixtures hits the street and
sidewalk.  Another 25% goes to illuminate yards and fronts of nearby
houses, and a 50% radiates upward, blotting out stars and uselessly
lighting up the undersides of trees, clouds, birds, and airplanes.
Friends and neighbors, your tax dollars funded these fixtures because
of their appearance, but they waste your money every time they come on
and can't adequately light the streets.

If fitted with internal shields, these fixtures could use 50% less
energy and do a better, safer job of lighting the many streets that
are lined with them.  Their daytime appearance would be unchanged.  In
an age where energy conservation becomes more important every day,
Champaign, Urbana, and the University of Illinois should not tolerate
this excessive waste.

        Mike Lockwood