Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Las Vegas May Regulate Nits

Just too many bright, flashing nits:
Clark County officials are considering a law that could dim lights on Strip marquees and other signs that blind or dazzle motorists — once someone figures out when bright is too bright.

Critics point to a Mandalay Bay marquee that floods I-15 with flashing — and some say blinding — light.

..."We're looking to establish a more concrete ordinance," Pulsipher said, noting that the county has received complaints about marquees near I-15, particularly the Mandalay Bay marquee that was built without a brightness control sensor by a company that no longer is in business. "This is about getting better light pollution control," he said.

The county still is determining what the brightness standards should be, based on a measurement called "nits" — the amount of candle power emitted in 1 square meter at the source of the light. The numbers being bandied about are a maximum output of 5,000 to 6,000 nits during daylight and 2,500 to 4,000 nits at night.

Bob Klausmeier, electronics specialist for Yesco, the oldest local lighting company and which has about 70 percent of the electronic-marquee market on the Strip, says most local resorts could easily meet such standards.

Klausmeier said he also is critical of harsh-light signs because they give his business a bad name.

"That sign (behind the Mandalay Bay) is a hazard," Klausmeier said. "It lacks sufficient brightness controls and does harm to our industry because people think that a high level of brightness is what we are about. But it's not. We want people to look at our signs and read the messages, not turn away because they are too distracting."

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