Sample Letters to NJDOT

The following are some examples of a protest letter that can be sent to  Kris Kolluri, Commissioner of the NJDOT.  

                      Mr. Kris Kolluri, Esq.
                      Commissioner of the New Jersey
                           Department of Transportation
                      P.O. Box 601
                      Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0601 

As the number sequence  increases, so does the intensity level of the protest.  These sample letters are intended to be sent from an angry general public, with limited technical knowledge about controlling light pollution.  The senders are convinced that road glare is a serious visual problem.  The letters should not be perceived as coming from any special interest group.  You may find some of the letters amusing, strongly emphasizing the one major theme: Stop the Glare.  This is a safety issue and the primary winning argument is to avoid senseless glare.

Before writing to the NJDOT, it would be advisable to first read the article titled: “Article for Astronomers” (Everyone Benefits When Light Pollution is Reduced).

You can customize the your letter a bit so that it doesn’t look like a “form letter”.  Be careful with what you might add.  For example, converting from non-cutoff to cutoff roadway lights will not save a substantial amount of energy.  If you meet IES illuminance recommendations, the energy use is about the same.  Avoiding the mention of dark skies or astronomy in you letter would also be advisable when dealing with the NJDOT, since they don’t seem to care about that adverse component of LP.

Letter 1

     Why is there so much glare from lights that have been installed by the Department of Transportation on New Jersey roads?  The blobs of glare from these lights makes it difficult to see the road when driving at night.

     The DOT should be installing lights with a flat lens to avoid glare.  This is being done by other states and we should do the same.

Letter 2

     It’s about time someone has spoken-out against New Jersey’s road glare, as has been done in the article appearing on the Opinion page of the Asbury Park Press on 3/8/05.  I agree that road lighting in New Jersey is much worse than in other states.
     Why has the Department of Transportation wasted so much of our tax money on lights that shine bright glare in our eyes when we drive?  On highways I need to keep my visor down, but when I come to a traffic light, I need to flip it up otherwise I am unable to see the light turn green.  On freeways, when I approach a lighted glare filled  interchange, I have to flip/flop the visor again.  The need to do this because of the uncomfortable glare is ridiculous.

      So many states have converted to lighting with a flat lens instead of the glare producing globes.  The flat lens fixtures are the only lights that we should use.

Letter 3

     There is no justification for the absurd lighting that has been installed on freeways and highways throughout the State of New Jersey.  For older drivers, it is very difficult and stressful to drive at night because of the glare from these lights.

     Please remove these lights and install proper fixtures that will benefit the public, especially seniors.  

Letter 4

     Stop the senseless road glare!  The lights that have been installed by the NJDOT are terrible and dangerous.  Why has this continued for so long?  We had a state commission about 9 years ago that recommended installing lights that do not produce glare.  Where has the DOT been all this time?  There are now some cutoff lights being used, but your department is still installing the glare blobs on highways.

     With so many states solving the problems of unnecessary light pollution, why is New Jersey 
so far behind?  It’s time for action, not excuses.

Letter 5

     After reading the recent article in the Asbury Park Press, I must add my name to the list protesting the outrageous road lighting that we have here in New Jersey. 

     Whatever happened to the State Commission that recommended using lights that would avoid road glare so that the driving public would not have to be subjected to such unnecessary abuses.

     Finally, I see some newer lighting with flat lenses, but what do we do with the existing terrible lighting that the State has spent millions of taxpayers money on.  Why were so many bad lights installed on Route 70, a fairly new road?  Why were so many bad lights installed recently on Routes 9 and 35 (or other examples)? 

     If your lighting engineers cannot competently perform the job of selecting lighting that will avoid unnecessary glare, then its time to “clean house” and replace them.

Letter 6

     The lighting on New Jersey Department of Transportation roads is a glare disaster.  This lighting on freeways such as Routes 18, 195 and 287 couldn’t be worse.  I agree with the description in the March 8, 2005 article in the Asbury Park Press, that the globes on these lights look like blobs of glare at night.

     Finally some new lights with a flat lens have being used, but I still see other new lights on highways being installed with a lens that looks like a large empty glass jar.

     How is this problem going to be fixed, and when?  Why has it gone on for so long?  Seniors  should be able to drive at night without being subjected to all this glare.  Are we ever going to catch up to the many states that know how to install the right kind of lighting?  Will we be the only state left in the nation with all this glare?