Tunnel lights: too many, too bright Archived

San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge San Francisco, California Show on Map Hide Map
Move the marker to represent your issue's location. The address will not change.

Reporter

(Guest)

Issue ID:

758736

Submitted To:

SF311

Category:

Streetlight Repair

Viewed:

473 times

Neighborhood:

San Francisco County

Reported:

on

Service Request ID:

2863199

Description

There are very many, very bright white lights in the Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island. It's not a problem during the day, when drivers' eyes are accustomed to brighter light. However, at night the lights are excessively bright and in significant contrast to the rest of the lighting on the Bay Bridge.

Our eyes get accustomed to the light in our environment, and at night our pupils dilate to accommodate the darker driving conditions. It takes about a half hour for human eyes to fully adjust to darker conditions, but only moments for a bright light to cause our pupils to contract, and many minutes for them to acclimate again.

Not only is it painfully, blindingly bright when entering the tunnel, it is then a hazard to exit the tunnel (at night) into a very dimly lit bridge with diminished visual acuity.

I thought the bright, white lights would go away after construction had ceased, but it seems they are there to stay unless someone/everyone speaks up.

Please consider this commentary seriously. As they are now, the lights are distracting and more hazardous than helpful.

Sincerely,
Ert O'Hara
San Francisco, CA

http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Glare-when-Driving-at-Night

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-temporary-blindness.htm

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/5-tips-for-driving-safely-at-night.htm#page=3

http://learningcenter.statefarm.com/auto/safety/night-driving/
"Protect your eyes from glare. Prolonged exposure to glare from sunlight during the day or headlights at night can temporarily ruin your night vision, while also leading to eyestrain and drowsiness."

http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafetytips/night.html

also asked...
Q. Type
A. Other
Q. Pole Type
A. Unknown

4 Comments

Comments are closed for archived issues.