Dutch Town Uses High-Tech Streetlights To Keep Their Bats Happy

Since streetlights disturb bats' internal sensors and rhythms and affect their feeding patterns, inner compasses, and general nocturnal behaviors, the Dutch town of Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop is taking action. The town is using special streetlights that emit a red color and use a wavelength that doesn't interfere with a bat's internal compass and lets them feed undisturbed. The Next Web reports: The lights [developed by Signify and the University of Wageningen and other NGO's active in conservation], being both beneficial for bats and humans alike, are also proving to be extremely energy saving, and is therefore also a big plus for the environment and the town's carbon footprint. The lights are connected LED lights that can be controlled remotely. This means that if there is one particular neighborhood in need of more or less light, this can be adjusted as needed.

Zuidhoek-Nieuwkoop, due to their specific natural surroundings, is keen on being a sustainable town. The town and its surrounding area are part of the nature-protection network Natura 2000, which protects breeding and nesting areas for rare and threatened species all over Europe.

Comments

Amazed

[Lennie]

Always amazed when my fellow countrymen come up with these things. I think it shows the great attention to detail we spend on building infrastructure.

This is the same country where certain traffic lights for bike lanes would get preference when it was raining so people on bikes could get home quicker.

Re:Not the town that cancelled it?

[Anonymous Coward]

The obvious solution is to turn the lights off. Street lights are not necessary. Cars have headlights, bikes have headlights, and pedestrians can carry flashlights if there's not enough moonlight for walking. At the very least, they can make the street lights motion-activated.