What is House-side Shield

The light shield serves as a protective barrier that prevents the outdoor LED Parking Lot light or led wall light from emitting rays in unwanted directions. It effectively blocks the light from trespassing and can be adjusted to restrict the direction of the outdoor light.

A street light shield refers to a protective barrier installed on the side of a house facing the light. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of unwanted light that spills onto private property located behind the light. The evaluation of shield requests is carried out by a member of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) Signals and Street Lighting (SSL) team.

Shields for streetlights can be obtained from various streetlight manufacturers, despite the possibility of your local utility discouraging it. It is important to remain persistent in your request, as you did not request for your yard or home to be illuminated.

“The shields serve multiple purposes: 1) enhancing the visibility of the lights for drivers approaching them; 2) minimizing glare caused by external light sources like the sun; and 3) preventing drivers on nearby streets from being distracted by conflicting traffic movements,” she explained.

Jody Prunier, associate director of California Lawyers for the Arts, a legal and mediation service, suggests that you could consider approaching your neighbors directly by knocking on their door, calling or emailing them, or even sending a letter to express your concerns about the excessive brightness of their lights and request a discussion.

Like noise pollution, courts in most parts of the United States consider shining a light in someone’s window as a form of “nuisance”. A nuisance refers to any behavior that disrupts a neighbor’s ability to use or enjoy their property.

Millions of street lights in our cities emit light that is not fully utilized for illuminating streets or sidewalks. Instead, a significant portion of this light is lost and emitted above the horizon, resulting in the brightening of the night sky. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as light pollution.