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

Posted by BeauHD on from the bat-friendly-city dept.

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.

11 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not the town that cancelled it? by austinpoet · · Score: 5, Informative

    https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/...

  2. Amazed by Lennie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

    --
    New things are always on the horizon
    1. Re: Amazed by Evtim · · Score: 2

      Agreed. The Shiphol tunnel has inflicted great pain in my life (commuter A'dam - Delft).
      However I'm still gobsmacked occasionally by the attention to detail....not only in infrastructure.
      When you realize that in Amstelpark the stones and shells on the ground match the color of the tree's blossoms....that's when you know you are in NL.
      Love your country, guys, let's make it better! Don't listen to those who try to shame you for your success!

  3. Re:Not the town that cancelled it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

  4. Good! by jouassou · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I hope this spreads. Not just for the bats' sake, but because white light (and the blue frequencies in particular) tend to disrupt the sleep patterns of any mammal, including humans. Red lights let us see where we're going without keeping us awake.

    1. Re:Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I hope this spreads. Not just for the bats' sake, but because white light (and the blue frequencies in particular) tend to disrupt the sleep patterns of any mammal, including humans. Red lights let us see where we're going without keeping us awake.

      Since when is keeping people on roads awake a bad thing?

    2. Re:Good! by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Keeping you awake is a good thing if you're on the road. Less so if you happen to live near the road.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:Good! by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      I hope this spreads. Not just for the bats' sake, but because white light (and the blue frequencies in particular) tend to disrupt the sleep patterns of any mammal, including humans. Red lights let us see where we're going without keeping us awake.

      A few points -

      We really want to do whatever we can to keep bats happy and healthy. They eat things that are bad for us.

      Blue light, the headlight color du jour, is the absolute worst color for visual acuity. The human eye's lens is a simple convex lens, and doesn't focus all colors exactly. And blue is the worst.

      Red focuses pretty fair. If visual acuity is paramount, you would want green.

      But keep the bats happy is really good. And keeping them happy will keep the numbers of biting insects down.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  5. Re:Not the town that cancelled it? by magarity · · Score: 2

    Many people feel unsafe in the dark. As soon as a street is dark they imagine the bushes are full of robbers and rapists.

    The ultra hard shadows created by street lights make great places for robbers and rapists to hide in.

  6. Re:Not the town that cancelled it? by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    Sigh even a people as liberal as the Dutch have a retard belt (commonly referred to as a bible belt in politer company).

  7. Re:Not the town that cancelled it? by silas_moeckel · · Score: 2

    Muggers, if they are a problem maybe you should solve those root issues rather than put in street lights.

    --
    No sir I dont like it.