Projects to change policy about light pollution in Flanders

1
Projects to change policy about light pollution
in Flanders

• 24-25 April, Paris
• Friedel Pas
• Werkgroep Lichthinder VVS vzw.
• Preventie Lichthinder vzw
• Platform Lichthinder

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Agenda

• Reorganizing the Flemish organizations working on
  light pollution.
• DULOMI Municipalities lighting without light
  nuisance.
• EMIS/BBT or Best Available Practices website.
• Light Audits

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Platform Lichthinder

• Cooperation of associations working on light
  pollution.
• With the same goal
• But each an other role.
• A new brand for collectively actions.

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Platform Lichthinder

• Werkgroep Lichthinder of the Vereniging Voor
  Sterrenkunde vzw.
• Bond Beter Leefmilieu vzw.
• Preventie Lichthinder vzw.

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DULOMI-project Municipalities lighting without
nuisance.

• Subsidized by the Flemish government

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DULOMI content

• Background policy sensitizing
• DULOMI project Municipalities lighting without
  light pollution
• Charter light nuisance.
• Planning.

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Background

• History of sensitizing
• Policy plans and policy instruments

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Sensitizing

• Night of Darkness
• 10the edition on 19/3/2005
• Target group every body
• Request for switching of outdoor lighting,
  activities.
• Last edition
• 162 municipalities of 308
• 15000 visitors on gt 50 activities.

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Night of Darkness

• Aalst - Aalter - Aarschot - Aartselaar - As -
  Asse - Assenede - Avelgem - Baarle-Hertog -
  Beernem - Beerse - Beringen - Bilzen -
  Blankenberge - Bocholt - Borgloon - Brakel -
  Brasschaat - Brecht - Bredene - Bree - Brugge -
  Buggenhout - Damme - De Haan - De Panne - De
  Pinte - Deerlijk - Denderleeuw - Dendermonde -
  Destelbergen - Diepenbeek - Diksmuide -
  Dilsen-Stokkem - Eeklo - Evergem - Genk - Gent -
  Gingelom - Grimbergen - Haaltert - Halen - Ham -
  Hamme - Hamont-Achel - Hasselt - Hechtel-Eksel -
  Heers - Herent - Herk-de-Stad - Herselt -
  Herstappe - Herzele - Heusden-Zolder - Hoeselt -
  Hoogstraten - Houthalen-Helchteren - Houthulst -
  Hulshout - Ichtegem - Ingelmunster - Kaprijke -
  Keerbergen - Kinrooi - Knesselare - Knokke-Heist
  - Koksijde - Kortemark - Kortessem - Kortrijk -
  Laakdal - Laarne - Lanaken - Lebbeke - Lede -
  Leopoldsburg - Lichtervelde - Lierde - Lochristi
  - Lokeren - Lommel - Londerzeel - Lovendegem -
  Lummen - Maaseik - Maasmechelen - Machelen -
  Maldegem - Malle - Mechelen - Meerhout -
  Meeuwen-Gruitrode - Melle - Merelbeke - Moerbeke
  - Mol - Nazareth - Neerpelt - Nevele -
  Nieuwerkerken - Oostende - Oosterzele - Oostkamp
  - Opglabbeek - Opwijk - Oud-Turnhout - Overijse -
  Overpelt - Peer - Pepingen - Poperinge - Putte -
  Ranst - Riemst - Rijkevorsel - Roeselare -
  Schoten - Sint-Gillis-Waas - Sint-Laureins -
  Sint-Lievens-Houtem - Sint-Martens-Latem -
  Sint-Niklaas - Sint-Truiden - Stekene -
  Tessenderlo - Tielt-Winge - Tienen - Torhout -
  Turnhout - Vosselaar - Waarschoot - Waasmunster -
  Wachtebeke - Waregem - Wellen - Wervik - Wetteren
  - Wichelen - Wommelgem - Wortegem-Petegem -
  Wuustwezel - Zedelgem - Zele - Zemst - Zingem -
  Zomergem - Zonhoven - Zottegem - Zoutleeuw -
  Zuienkerke - Zutendaal Zwevegem

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Night of Darkness
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Night of Darkness

• Big success
• Big influence on policy plans.

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Policy plan 03-07

• Purposes
• Long term the natural sky luminance has to be
  max. restored.
• Plan purposes new light pollution has to be
  avoided and existing light pollution must be
  reduced.
• Direction in 2007 there may be no regions where
  the luminance of the sky is bigger then 9 times
  the natural sky luminance (030-500).

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Sky luminance in Flanders
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Mobility plan Flanders

• Creation of not lighted areas near environmental
  important zones.
• Banning of Hg-lamps, limiting the used power.
• Limiting the time of lighting outside urban
  areas.
• After the silence areas, now also the dark
  areas.

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• Cooperation Contract between Flemish government
  and municipality on environmental topics.
• When executing contract, get financial support.
• Different clusters and 3 levels
• Cluster nuisance with smell, noise and light
  nuisance.

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• Level 1
• Registering complains in central database (MKROS)
• Sensitizing on light pollution.
• Own light pollution has to be reduced.
• Level 2
• regulation.
• Inspection programme.
• Inventory of most important causes of light
  pollution -gt action plan

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• Level 3
• Creating dark areas.
• Replacing bad outdoor lighting.
• Do something at advertisement lighting.

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From sensitizing to action

• Awake by Night of Darkness
• Need of structural actions
• Problems
• Lack of know how
• No good tools.
• Depended from third parties (net managers,
  consulting companies)
• Policy still be in ones infancy.

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Project municipalities lighting without nuisance

• Purposes
• Concept
• Planning

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Purposes

• Informing local governments
• Regional info sessions (environment, build and
  police officials)
• Website (www.verlichtenzonderhinder.be)
• Guide
• Support on request.
• Stimulate local governments to take actions.
• Charter light nuisance.
• Distributing successful projects.

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Concept

• 75 paid by Flemish government.
• Until august 2005 (possible extended)
• Executed by Platform Lichthinder.

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Charter light nuisance
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Charter light nuisance

• Three levels
• Level 1 Starting level
• Level 2 Advanced level
• Level 3 Ambitious level
• Goal signed by 70 municipalities

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Charter light nuisance

• Engagement on three topics
• Prevention
• Curative Structural actions.
• Communication and sensitizing.

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Charter light nuisanceLevel 1

• Prevention/inventory
• Signing engagement declaration.
• Simple evaluation of monument and sport lighting.
• Inventory of complains on light pollution.
• Curative
• Communication

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Charter Light nuisanceLevel 1

• Prevention / Inventory
• Curative
• Take action to nuisance of monument and sport
  lighting.
• Communication
• Informing citizens in municipality publications
• Participating Night of Darkness
• Participating regional info session

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Charter light nuisanceLevel 2

• Prevention / Inventory
• Local light ordinance / regulation.
• Special conditions for environmental permits.
• Curative
• Inspection programme on base of regulations
  (companies)
• New lighting only from list of good fixtures.

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Charter light nuisanceLevel 2

• Prevention / Inventory
• Curative
• Communication
• Organizing info sessions for different target
  groups.
• Positive communication on extra regulations.

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Charter light nuisanceLevel 3

• Prevention / Inventory
• Action plan for reducing light pollution.
• Complete lighting audit.
• Curative
• Creation of dark areas
• Pilot project of quality lighting, or let a
  target group better lighting.
• Communication

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Charter light nuisanceLevel 3

• Prevention / Inventory
• Curative
• Communication
• Week of Darkness with actions to specific target
  groups.
• Campaign to advertisement and industrial lighting.

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Engagement Platform Lichthinder

• Offer regional info sessions.
• Offer campaign material
• Info packet
• Checklist for evaluating bad lighting.
• Examples of publications
• List of good fixtures.
• Publicity on portal site.
• Model actions

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EngagementPlatform Lichthinder

• Offering model regulations.
• Individual support and advise
• Executing light audits

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Support committee

• Forum of Platform Lichthinder, Flemish
  government, reprehensive of municipalities, net
  managers, lighting industry, electricity
  industry, VITO.
• Support and advice government projects on light
  pollution.

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Support committee

• Results
• Net managers ask less money for fixtures of
  recognized list.
• Specifications to accept fixtures will be fine
  tuned with light pollution topics.
• Developing web tool to easier use CIE norms
  (category of roads, areas, )

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EMIS/BBT

• Other project in support committee.
• Executed by VITO.
• EMIS is site with environmental information.
• BBT is Best available Practices
• On base of application, best lighting
  technologies will be listed.

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Light audits

• History
• Concept
• Demand

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Light audits

• Preventie Lichthinder vzw

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Light audits - History

• Cooperation contract on environmental topics,
  request inventory and plan for action.
• Municipalities has not the know how.
• PIH Antwerpen asked us to help (10/2003)
• 10/2004 first inspections start.
• Environmental officials can participate to learn
  the job.

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Light Audit Concept

• Module 1 Companies and Regulation.
• Module 2 Monument lighting and Regulation.
• Module 3 Public lighting
• Module 4 All policy proposals together.

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Module 1

• Control outdoor lighting of companies, homes,
  are conform VLAREM II
• Control outdoor lighting is conform traffic code.
• Give solutions for each violation.

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Regulation Vlarem II

• .0.1 The propriety do all actions to avoid light
  nuisance.

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Regulation Vlarem II

• .0.2 The use and the intensity has to be limited
  the necessary for exploitation and safety

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Regulation Vlarem II

• .0.2 not functional lighting that go to the
  neighborhood has to be limited.

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Regulation Vlarem II

• .0.3 Accent lighting may only be directed to the
  establishment

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Regulation Vlarem II

• .0.4 advertisement lighting has to be less
  intensive then public lighting.

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Traffic code article 80.2

• Drivers may not be dazzled or confused by
  lighting.

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Module 2 Monument lighting.

• Same as module 1, but monument lighting in
  maintenance of the municipalities.

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Module 3 Public lighting

• List of all used fixture with their value and for
  witch purposes.
• Check correct installation, pole distance
• Check intensity on road (CIE)
• Proposals to do better

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Module 4 policy proposals together

• List of most occurring problems in the
  municipality.
• Policy proposals to avoid these problems in the
  future.

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Demand

• 5 municipalities full version
• 2 municipalities several modules
• 1 municipality and 1 province allready budgeted
  for 2005-2006
• Most of the municipalities interested in DULOMI
  want this formule. (gt 30)

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The job

• 1171 roads
• 1150 km lighted roads
• 65 lighted monuments
• 5700 companies
• 70000 families.
• To receive 39959
• Costs 13082
• Profit 26877

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Conclusions

• All parties want less light pollution and quality
  lighting.
• Problems complexity, lack of know how and
  clearness.
• All parties want to take action, when they are
  able to communicate open en with respect to each
  other.
• Conditions
• Citizens and parties must be aware of the
  problems.
• Good technology knowledge, other parties has to
  know that.
• Build up a respectful and confidently relation.

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