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Monday, September 24, 2012

Lights out for the night

I recently passed by the station at night (around 10:30 p.m.) and was struck by the unusual absence of its usual blinding lights.


Once when arriving back in Ottawa on an evening flight, I noticed how brightly lit gas stations are. Looking down from over the city, gas stations stick out like sore thumbs, especially in the suburbs where gas stations are big and the streets are fairly dark.

I've since noticed it back on the ground also: every square inch of asphalt on a gas station's property is inundated with light. Normally, the MacEwen Ethanol gas station at Bank and Catherine is no exception—you risk a tan just driving by at night—but on this particular evening, it was refreshing to see them sparing the electricity.

[Look for more one-photo posts under the label Singles]

2 comments:

  1. Really all that are needed are a few motion sensor lights to protect the pumps...less light pollution is a good thing.

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  2. Fuel service stations are governed by all manner of TSSA standards and related regulations. I wouldn't be surprised if after hours lighting is required in some cases. I don't think there's an explicit requirement in the City of Ottawa design guidelines for gas stations, though.

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