5 minute read
Where Bat Protection's A Red Line
A popular walking and cycling path, the Comber Greenway is a seven mile long traffic free route between Belfast and Comber in Northern Ireland which has been enjoying increased footfall over the last few years.
The route is used by pedestrians and cyclists for both commuting and leisure purposes. However, during the winter months and on dark evenings, the number of people using it was seen to decline.
Following research by the Department for Infrastructure and consultation with local residents and users, there is now a LED lighting scheme under trial on the urban section of this traffic free route.
This has improved visibility and the perception of safety for users after dark while minimizing disruption to local wildlife and in particular the sensitive bat population.
The lit-up pathway now is truly the vital community asset it was meant to be in East Belfast and can be enjoyed by residents who live along it and commuters who use it for walking and cycling right throughout the year.
The Comber Greenway is one of the most used urban greenways in Northern Ireland, and meanders seven miles out into the countryside along mostly flat terrain making it popular amongst people of all abilities.
The purpose of the project was to illuminate the walkway to allow pedestrians and cyclists to use it during the evening hours, especially in the winter months. The project now provides a safer space for those who wish to walk, wheel, or cycle all year round.
What makes the project unique is the challenge it came with obtaining lighting that would serve the public safely and protect the environment, as the area is known as a bat feeding corridor.
The Department for Infrastructure, working with Signify, decided to install luminaires that have a special light recipe limiting the night time disturbance of bats whilst providing a light source with a color rendering index (Ra) > 60 to promote safety and security for users.
The design uses a special light recipe which has a high color rendering, providing a safer feeling space for those who wish to walk, wheel or cycle all year round. The scheme has been designed with the local environment in mind. The design uses a light recipe which filters out the blue peak making the light source red in appearance.
This spectrum has been proven to minimize the night time disturbance to bat colonies, while internal back louvres on the luminaires and lower mounting heights will minimize light spill into the hedgerows to shield wildlife and diminish light pollution into adjoining properties.
The Department for Infrastructure working with Signify, who supplied LED lighting via their contractor M&P Bradley and promoted their Clearfield light recipe this special light recipe has been proven to limit the night time disturbance of bats as the light source has no UV content and has removed most of the blue part of the spectrum. The spectral power is between 590nm and 790nm, giving the light source a red appearance with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 1000K.
The project uses 233 Philips Digistreet Micro luminaires connected with Interact Cellular Node, which allows for remote monitoring and control of the lighting system that brings lighting together with data and the IoT so you can create spaces that adapt to your needs, making them more efficient, connected, and sustainable.
The project will also see the installation of multi sensor radar detection. Multi-sensor is a Zhaga D4i certified sensor connected to the luminaire via the Zhaga Book 18 socket and is considered the best choice for light on demand applications especially for cycling paths, as it has the capability to control a group of luminaires when motion is detected.
This allows the best use of light on demand by setting a low background level of illumination that can be increased when the radar is triggered by motion, providing a base level of illumination for the majority of the night to limit environmental impacts, whilst increasing the illumination level when required, providing a safer space for those who wish to walk, wheel or cycle all year round.
The project was designed with the local environment in mind, using a special light recipe of the Philips ClearField technology which filters out the blue peak making the light source red in appearance, to limit the night time disturbance of bats, while internal back louvres on the luminaires and lower mounting heights minimized light spill into the hedgerows to shield wildlife and diminish light pollution into adjoining properties.
Research undertaken shows some species of bat are light adverse and the introduction of lighting can have a negative effect on their commuting and foraging behaviors.
Following consultation and engagement with residents, the new lights on the urban section of the greenway between Beersbridge Road and Billy Neill Halt have been programmed to operate during hours of darkness from dusk to 10.30pm and from 6.00am to dawn.
The introduction of a new red spectrum lighting scheme, the first of its kind on the British Isles, is showing to make travel throughout the whole year more feasible while also minimizing light pollution and protecting the local environment and bat population along this corridor.
The pilot will be reviewed by the Department after two years and will help form a decision on whether the scheme should be further extended along the rural section between Billy Neill Halt and Comber. But there is no doubt that the project is already proving to be a win-win for citizens and the nocturnal animals in the corridor. ■
