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Citizen complaint of the day: Kill that light!
By adamg on Wed, 01/08/2020 - 9:59am
A peeved citizen files a 311 complaint about the lighthouse-bright floodlight now pouring into his or her apartment in the Troy Boston building on Traveler Street in the South End:
Powerful floodlight is blasting into the east side of Troy Boston and causing a public nuisance. there is no need for that light to be tilted upward to strike windows that are 15-20 stories above the ground. it should be turned off and removed immediately.
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Comments
Couldn't they just put up
Couldn't they just put up curtains?
Ah yes, rather than installing the light correctly...
...the solution is apparently to have a 20+ story apartment building full of people all go out and individually buy and install blackout curtains that they didn't need the week before.
While you're at it...
During the day a bright yellowish ball appears in the sky and it makes me squint..do something.
Let's start a Go Fund Me for this person so they can get some curtains.
I've got the perfect solution
https://youtu.be/L3LbxDZRgA4?t=34
considering
Considering the price of renting or buying at the Troy I think they can afford their own curtains
Curtains do so much. Ever been around Exelon Everett at Night?
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
broken record
ahh yes, cue the "you live in a city and don't deserve a quality of life' comments.
Looks like the T yards. They tend to like the "one massive light is easier than several normal lights'. They have similar set up on Herald st - surprised no complaints about those yet, although I see those on lest often these days...
Curtains are fine for sleeping, but some folks do want to enjoy the view they're overpaying for...
Agreed
Light pollution is pollution, and this is a completely legitimate complaint. Humans need darkness, and most curtains will only do so much - as when you close the curtains on a summer day to take a nap.
I agree about the darkness.
But lights happen, especially in the city. One can get room darkening or black out shades that should decrease most of the ambient light.
there's a difference
Between a light and that thing.
Get Lost
Move to the suburbs - then complain about the moon & stars. You live in the city honey, you're paying a premium for that noise and bright lights. Give it a rest
Summer travel in the North
Husband, while traveling in Canada in late June:
5:00 pm: Why the heavy shades? To keep out the cold?
10:30 pm: Lowers shades.
Blue during day: Good. Blue at night: Bad.
You can research that fact easily.
I think this is what you're talking about
Blues on the Ceiling
Bright lights...
Bright lights, big skivvies.
Dark sky legislation
Massachusetts does lack regulation for controlling light pollution. Last year there were a couple of bills introduced to do something about it (S1937/H2858), but they both seem to not be going anywhere.
It's a shame because controlling light pollution (essentially by mandating cutoff light fixtures that shine light down, not up) doesn't just darken the sky. It saves energy, improves safety, and looks better.
Is the light new?
Is the light new?
I would hazard a guess
that the light is for a construction project -- similar to the one they probably had when they were building Troy several years ago.
Yes, it is new. No, it is not for construction.
The MBTA has multiple, separate facilities between the South End and Southie, on both sides of 93. They have been installing these insanely bright lights at all of them just in the last year. It is a new and major problem afflicting a large swath of both neighborhoods. It is hard to describe just how pervasive the brightness is if you haven't seen it in person.
Light Pollution
Light pollution is a real thing. Sleeping aside, throwing that much light into the sky adds considerably to the problems of light pollution and it doesn't even serve a purpose.
A better reflector would put more light on the ground which is the only place it serves a purpose.
If you're a good enough shot
This could be solved with a .22.
And if you're not ...
your bullets are going to land somewhere else, possibly inside someone. In any case, you're breaking the law, and being an idiot.
1600 feet would be one hell
1600 feet would be one hell of a shot with a .22
Also, it wouldn't just be BPD responding to a "not sure if it was shots or firecrackers somewhere in the neighborhood" call to 911. You'd be shooting at/across areas that are the jurisdiction of state police, transit police, Amtrak Police, critical transportation infrastructure... They could escalate you to a federal case very quickly.
...and you wouldn't be making any friends with the unions, either.
Holy toledo I’m
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Morrissey
There is a light that never goes out...
Finally!
So that's what that says - another runner!
Never could figure out what they were saying.
311 not the way to get action on this
The poster should locate the source of the light and go talk to them. There is more chance that ASKING them not to shoot light into the sky for no reason will be successful than asking the city to get involved.
And then what
The management company HQ could be anywhere behind any number of other entities, all of which screen phone messages.
Meanwhile, the city pays people to navigate that modern reality, particularly with regard to compliance and quality of life issues.
You act as if everything is a mom and pop business with decisions made on site and actual staff available to talk to people. It isn't 1950.
Sorry, but it SHOULD be like 1950
If she fails, THEN call the city. I don't know what kind of building the light is coming from, but it's probably got humans working there in a capacity that you could talk to someone. The management COULD be in Japan OR it could be a guy who works there 40 hours a week and he'd be happy to help. Throwing up your hands and saying, "It wont work" isn't going to get this fixed either.
Great, practical advice
Because there's nothing managers like better than having complete strangers walk up to them and tell them to change the way they work. That's sure to get results.
Gosh everyone is SO jaded
You'd be surprised at how successful a polite request can be. Sure, if you bust into some place and sound as pissed off as the 311 post did, you'll get nowhere. "Hi, I was wondering if someone could help me?" is surprisingly effective (even in 2020.)
Worth a try
While you're at it, you can ask the MBTA to stop blocking traffic when they load/unload buses, stop shutting subway train doors in riders' faces when they're trying to board, and stop breaking down all the time. Worth a try, right?
Who took the jam out of your donut?
Not if you don't want to do it. No one's making you. But why do you have your knickers in a knot about someone else trying it?
Why assume the complainant
Why assume the complainant didn't already try this?
We actually don't know
I guess I would have assumed that they would say, "I went over to the building and they told me that I had to speak to their office in Tokyo" if they had tried that already.
It's the MBTA
And the MBTA is, of course, famously receptive to door knocks and polite requests.
I'd like to say that getting the city and/or the media involved would indeed be the way to get these lights adrdessed, though of course the T's track record on listening to its constituent cities or caring about its pileup of negative PR isn't exactly heartening either.
Maybe asking in person would
Maybe asking in person would work.
But the city really should handle light pollution complaints. That's why we have regulations, and city departments to enforce them.
Unfortunately, from my experience with much less complicated complaints to 311, I'm pretty sure this complaint will go nowhere.
View
That's a gorgeous view.
"his or her apartment"
You mean "their apartment" right?
I have a similar problem on a ...
... smaller scale from a bright light in the office building opposite me. The light serves no purpose as the building is empty at night.
This is a common problem for city dwellers. Not to mention the energy they waste and the environmental impact of light pollution.
I’m curious to know if the city will address this person’s complaint.