Fiscal Note
No appropriation required. The City Traffic Engineering department currently applies these standards as it installs new or replacement light installations.
Title
Amending Section 10.085(3)(a)3. of the Madison General Ordinances to permit the use of outdoor fluorescent lamps and amending Section 12.03(4) of the Madison General Ordinances to require cutoff or full cutoff direct street lighting and clarify the street light requirements for different areas.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This amendment allows fluorescent lamps to be used in outdoor areas, in addition to high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps. This amendment also reduces light spill by requiring cutoff or full cutoff luminaries for direct street lighting. It also clarifies the spacing requirements based on the location of electric facilities and removes the word 'ornamental', which has no significance with lighting units currently used.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Paragraph 3. of Subdivision (a) of Subsection (3) entitled "General Requirements" of Section 10.085 entitled "Outdoor Lighting" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
"3. Any outdoor lighting fixture installed on a parking lot, parking structure or outdoor merchandizing area shall use either high pressure sodium, or metal halide, or fluorescent lamps. The lighting system shall be extinguished or reduced to fifty percent (50%) no later than thirty (30) minutes after the close of business for the day or after the end of normal office hours for the majority of employees."
2. Subsection (4) entitled "Authority to Order Street Light Installations" of Section 12.03 entitled "Traffic Engineer" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
"(4) Authority To Order Street Light Installations.
(a) The Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to order street light installations as funds are available, with preference for the installation to be determined by a comparison of vehicular and pedestrian traffic volume, accident experience, crime experience, area development, neighborhood desire for additional lighting, or other factors concerning public welfare. Direct street lighting should be controlled with cutoff or full cutoff lighting fixtures.
(b) The minimum standards for good street lighting in residential areas served by overhead distribution systems should be one (1) six-thousand-(6,000) lumen street light at every intersection of streets which occurs at intervals of approximately four hundred (400) feet. Where intersections are six hundred (600) feet or more apart, midblock street lights may be installed if it is deemed by the Traffic Engineer that a particular hazard exists. Where intersections are eight hundred (800) feet or more apart, a midblock light or lights spaced approximately four hundred (400) feet apart should be considered necessary and be installed when funds are available. A street light should be installed in an alley in a residential district if the alley is longer than six hundred (600) feet or is longer than four hundred (400) feet and does not have a street light at each end. In residential areas within six hundred (600) feet of, and affected by a nighttime activity from, a commercial district, lights should be spaced approximately three hundred (300) feet apart.
(c) The Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to order ornamental street light installation in residential areas served by underground distribution systems after assessments have been established in accordance with Section 66.0701 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The minimum standard for good street lighting in these areas should be one (1) six-thousand (6000) lumen street light at every intersection of streets which occurs at intervals of approximately three hundred (300) feet. Where intersections are five four hundred (500400) feet or more apart, midblock street lights may be installed if deemed appropriate by the Traffic Engineer. An initial assessment shall be levied to the developer and/or benefited property owners to cover the initial installation cost of the ornamental street lighting units.
(d) The Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to order ornamental street light installation in commercial areas served by underground distribution systems after assessments have been established in accordance with Section 66.0701 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. Ornamental sStreet lighting units shall be installed in accordance with the criteria stated in Section 12.03(4)(c). An initial assessment shall be levied to the developer and/or benefited property owners to cover the initial installation cost of the ornamental street lighting units."