Large LED screens that set up outside the buildings always flash blindly. Will flashed neon out of the window kept you from sleeping during the summer night? According to Tu Haiming, CPPCC member, Shanghai will be divided into four sections in accordance with the brightness of environment and different functional properties. By then, the brightness of LED billboards, LED advertising screens will be limited.
“I crossed through this intersection every day after work. I need to wear sunglasses, since the intense light from these screens caused glare and made us easily to run red lights. ” This is a “scared” intersection for many new hands, like Mr. Lee, whose driving age is only one year. Located between Middle Henan Rd and East Nanjing Rd, a huge LED advertising screen was installed on the out wall of one building along the street. When night fell, the bright colorful light coming from the screen greatly attracted pedestrians, but also issued harsh light.
In one recently handed in report, Mr. Tu Haiming indicated pointed out that many aspects in the management and supervision of light pollution are still in a blank state: definition of light pollution; testing standards; definition of liability; government authorities and penalties. The first local standard to limit light pollution “Urban Environment (Decorative) Lighting Specification” was introduced on 1st September of 2004 in Shanghai. However, this is an industry standard, having no legal force. Besides, this specification only limited the brightness of traditional outdoor advertising signs and billboards, but without any related regulations for LED billions and outdoor screens.
In the aspect of the supervisory subjects, the Environmental Protection Department implied that they had no legal protection. Thus it is rather difficult for them to manage the light pollution, like air pollution and water pollution. The Environmental Protection Department only can cope with led high bay light pollutions caused by outdoor landscape lighting fixtures, while surface reflections coming from building outside walls usually under the management of Construction Management Office.
In this regard, the Shanghai Green and Urban Appearance Bureau (SGUAB) is drafting regulations for Shanghai landscape lighting facilities, laying claim in aspects of planning, construction, utilization, maintenance, energy conservation, pollution control and other specific requirements. SGUAB also released relevant rules to control the brightness outdoor LED landscape light-emitting facilities, including LED billboards.