By IANS
Pune : The tunnels on Mumbai-Pune Expressway are poorly lighted making driving difficult, say Reginald R. Wilson and Warren G. Julian, two lighting experts from Australia.
Wilson, Asia-Pacific head of International Dark Sky Association, told IANS: “On our way to Pune from Mumbai, we observed that despite so many lights one still cannot see properly inside the tunnel.”
Wilson and Julian are in the city for a conference on city beautification through lighting organised by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology Lighting Research Academy.
According to Wilson, a driver should be able to see objects within breaking distance but that doesn’t seem to be the case here and it poses huge risks to the ongoing traffic.
“In most cities pedestrians are given maximum preference but in India, cars are getting importance,” said Julian, director of Lighting Studies and a professor in Architectural and Design Science, University of Sydney.
Having acknowledged the presence of sufficient and high quality streetlights, they said the maintenance was severely lacking. Accordingly, if street lamps are cleaned and dusted on regular bases, energy consumed to light the streets will be much less.
They further suggested the use of waterways as a means of transportation in the city especially since Pune was situated at the confluence of rivers Mula and Mutha.
According to Wilson, the city should focus on lighting the objects on the roads rather than the road itself, given the heavy traffic in Pune.
Julian presented Shanghai’s example: “The city acted on our recommendations seven years back and the latest lighting audit shows saving of energy to the tune of 70 percent.”
Keeping pace with rapid advancement in the lighting technology has become a challenge for most governments worldwide, “but city authorities should not compromise on quality of lighting”, Julian said.
With Common Wealth Youth games round the corner, the Pune Municipal Corp could certainly use the recommendations of Julian and Wilson in the city beautification program.