Bring Back Former Street-Light System

* Your June 6 article about the new street lighting system hits home. On Dec. 30, several residents of Encino wrote to our councilman to complain about the reduction in street lighting.

The city has spent (and charged the residents) more than $300,000 to convert the lighting system that was originally purchased and paid for by the developers of the residents’ homes. The conversion has robbed us of a level of nighttime safety that was present before this expenditure.

We are told that low-pressure sodium actually provides more light than the mercury vapor lights. But the bureau of street lighting is quiet about the fact that the diameter of the lit circle has been reduced to half, thereby eliminating street lighting in front of many homes.

A person hiding in the shadow of the monochromatic light is invisible, whereas the shadow of the white mercury vapor lights renders the person somewhat visible. What can we do to get our bought-and-paid-for lighting system returned?

RON W. SPINDLER

Encino