Automotive and Street Lighting

Good lighting is essential to all aspects of transportation, enabling effective visibility between drivers, pedestrians, and their environment. The importance of safety and energy efficiency is forefront in the studies performed at the LRC. Researchers here study the performance of HID headlamps, examining this new technology's benefit of increased visibility as well as its drawbacks such as glare. Other projects have investigated the use of LEDs for instrumentation, markers, and headlamps.

The LRC studies new, energy-efficient methods of lighting our roadways, sidewalks, and parking lots, as well as crosswalk indicators, snowplows, and LED traffic signals. The Transportation Lighting Program at the LRC explores the interaction between vehicle, roadway, and signal lighting and offers new guidelines for cost-effective use and safety.

Publications

Documentation of Semi-Permanent High-Mast Lighting for Construction - The LRC evaluated a novel temporary lighting system installed at a highway construction site along Interstate 90 in Albany, New York

Getting There with Lighting: Overview Presentation - This presentation outlines the mission and research efforts of the LRC's Transportation Lighting Group.

Optimizing the Design and Use of Light-Emitting Diodes for Visually Critical Applications in Transportation and Architecture - This Web page introduces the involvement of the LRC with LEDs and transportation issues.

Shedding Light on Glare - Trade magazine article on the advantages and drawbacks of high-intensity blue headlamps.

Field Test DELTA Snapshots: Photovoltaic Lighting Retrofit Kit for Bus Shelters - A field test of a photovoltaic lighting retrofit kit for bus shelters on Long Island, N.Y. The test evaluated the system's performance over an extended period and gauged public reaction to the system at night.

DELTA Portfolio: Highway Rest Areas - A case study evaluating the exterior and interior lighting at a newly expanded highway rest area in upstate New York. This publication describes the lighting, discusses the public's reaction to the lighting, and quantifies the energy savings and environmental impact of the lighting.

View all Transportation Lighting Publications

Related Programs

Transportation Lighting - Vehicle, roadway, signal
Transportation Lighting Alliance - Vehicle, roadway, and signal lighting
NLPIP - Product testing
DELTA - Energy efficiency case studies

Projects

Novel Crosswalk Lighting Improves Pedestrian Safety - Scientists at the LRC are helping to evaluate different crosswalk lighting systems in order to improve pedestrian safety. The LRC sought to find a lighting solution that illuminates the pedestrian but not the background in order to increase contrast and improve pedestrian visibility and detection.

Researchers Develop Method to Reduce Headlamp Glare and Maintain Maximum Roadway Visibility - Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center, through funding from NHTSA, have developed and demonstrated a method to reduce headlamp glare and maintain maximum visibility.

Mesopic Street Lighting Demonstration and Evaluation Final Report - LRC demonstrates replacing a high-pressure sodium (HPS) street lighting system using a white light source.

Driver Response to Peripheral Moving Targets Under Mesopic Light Levels - A study of drivers’ reaction times to moving targets under different nighttime lighting conditions.

Implementing the Unified System of Photometry in Driving Contexts - A study of drivers’ detection and response to simultaneous targets under different lighting conditions.

Examining Headlamp Glare for NHTSA - Four studies of automotive headlamp glare designed to help NHTSA develop appropriate regulations and ensure safer nighttime road travel.

Street Lighting Practices in U.S. - A survey of street lighting equipment and practices in the United States.

Assessing Headlamps and Glare - A field study that systematically examined headlamp intensity, color and size and effects on visibility and visual discomfort.

Evaluating the Interaction of Fixed Roadway Lighting and Forward Vehicle Lighting - A study examining the feasibility of dimming vehicle headlamps in lit areas while maintaining visibility.