Pedestrian Response to Sustainable Outdoor Lighting: A Field Study with Elderly Participants

In an effort to reduce the negative ecological impact of outdoor lighting, amber and warm white light sources and delimited light distributions are currently being tested. This study investigates elderly pedestrians’ acceptance and preference for sustainable outdoor lighting in a field test along a pedestrian/bicycle path. Settings with three different correlated color temperatures (1800 K- amber, 2200 K and 3000 K), each with two different types of optics (regular and delimited light distributions) were evaluated. The results show that the satisfaction with the regular light distribution was significantly higher than with the delimited. The light with a correlated color temperature of 2200 K in combination with a regular light distribution was most preferred. When asked about accepting amber lighting on a pedestrian/bicycle path, 53% were positive, 23.5% said no and 23.5% were unsure.