The lighting of housing estate parking spaces as a source of light pollution

This publication is devoted to the problem of lighting in parking spaces in a housing estate. Both aspects related to the safety of their users and the potential impact on the natural environment through the phenomenon of light pollution are discussed. Parking spaces are classified in terms of their purpose and lighting. It was found that half of them are insufficiently illuminated, often by light sources originally intended to illuminate green areas or streets. As a result, the illuminance of their surface is much lower than the value specified by standards for this type of public space. It was found that this form of outdoor lighting does not directly make a noticeable contribution to the artificial sky glow, which is the main form of light pollution. However, isolated cases of excessive lighting in parking spaces have been recorded. In this case, the light reflected from the pavement or the street makes a significant contribution to artificial sky glow. It is suggested to replace the lighting in parking spaces with dedicated sets of LED or MH luminaires, which would minimise the impact of this lighting on the environment while ensuring the proper lighting of both the surface and the vehicles parked on them.