[maybe]

Maybe it's because I was born and raised in the country with no neighbors, but I think we have more night lighting here than is necessary. It is hard to see many stars on a clear night. Just how much lighting we have was really driven home to me a couple nights ago, when the power went out here around midnight for 1/2 hour. I went outside into the street. All the street lights, and all other lights, were out for not only my street, but adjoining streets as well, from as best as I could see by looking in between houses. Despite this, I could clearly see all of the street and individual houses, and would have felt comfortable riding a bike with no lights [except for the car factor of course!]. The sky was completely overcast, and power was out, yet my neighborhood was lit that well by excess light given off by nearby, but not visible, homes, streets, and businesses that produced a glow in the sky. The clouds might have actually made my street brighter than it would have been on a clear night, due to the clouds reflecting back light from other areas. Yeah, most folks feel safer with well lit streets and homes, and I can live with that, but I think motion activated lights would help out a great deal on that.

Oh, btw, this is not the start of any ban the lights campaign! Just my thoughts.