Street lighting is vital for navigation, but it helps us feel safe too. However, there are many considerations, such as the environment, the type of road and the level of lighting required before we can choose the right fittings.
We’ve broken down the information you need into an easy-to-digest guide to help you pick the best LED street lights for any road.
Road Classifications and Street Lighting
Roads can be divided into two main categories: private and public. Councils are responsible for looking after street lighting on public roads, but not private roads unless a special agreement has been put in place.
The main types of road classification include:
- Motorways: these form the Strategic Road Network and are maintained solely by Highways England.
- A roads: some A roads fall into the Strategic Road Network as they are major roads providing large-scale transport links between areas.
- B roads: these roads form links between A roads and the smaller roads listed below.
- Classified unnumbered roads: sometimes known as ‘C roads’, these smaller routes connect unclassified roads with A and B roads.
- Unclassified roads: making up 60% of all UK roads, these are local routes intended for local traffic and are sometimes known as ‘D roads’
Wattage Recommendations Based on Pole Height
Dependent on the type of road, there are different wattages to consider, and these are linked directly to the pole height.
Light pole heights are determined on road width and brightness required. For example, a higher level of lighting is required on motorways compared to unclassified roads. This means the pole height must increase to achieve a greater ‘throw’ of light which, in turn, requires a higher wattage.
| Light Pole Height | Recommended Street Lamps Wattage | Types of Roads |
| <4m | 15W, 40W, 50W, 60W, 80W | Private roads |
| 4-6m | 80W, 100W, 150W | A, B, C and Unclassified roads |
| >6m | 150W, 200W and over | Motorways |
Other technical factors to consider when choosing street lighting
Surge protection
Power surges occur when there is a huge spike in an electric system’s current, which can cause outages and may result in costly repairs.
Our street lighting benefits from two types of surge protection:
- Class II street lights feature 10Kv surge protection and are fully operational in extreme weather
- Class 1 street lights have IK08 and below surge protection, which is a basic protection
Colour Rendering Index
The colour of street lights differs dependent on the surrounding environment and is measured on a scale of Ra0 to Ra100. This scale ranks the light by how well it allows for colour differentiation.
White lighting is preferred as it allows better colour perception, allowing people to easily see their surroundings and feel safer.Ra60 is recommended in areas of high pedestrian activity.
Smart Lighting Industries offer to market Led street lighting solutions with Color Rendering Index (CRI) >70Ra, making our products innovative and complying to the industry requirements.
High-quality drivers
Our range includes street lights with drivers from Inventronics, one of the world’s leading LED driver manufacturers, and DALI, hosting two-way communication allowing LED systems to ‘talk’ to the user and vice versa.
Context, Intensity and Scale of Street Lighting
The Department for Transport advises street lighting should be in keeping with the rest of the environment, avoiding overlighting. The road type should be considered, as well as pedestrian and cycle flow, conflict areas, traffic-calming and crime risk.
The scale needs to be factored in when choosing street lighting, particularly the height and width of nearby buildings plus pedestrian activity on the street. Reducing the height of lighting poles can provide a rural feel and reduce light pollution.
LED Street Light Safety
LED street lights are often considered safer than traditional street lighting as they offer the ability to control the amount of short-wavelength light they emit.
LED Street Lighting by Smart Lighting
Here at Smart Lighting, we offer an extensive range of the best LED street lighting for all types of roads.
LEDs are the most energy-efficient street lighting solution on the market, lasting twice as long as traditional bulbs. This makes them the most cost-effective option too, saving up to 80% on electricity costs.
We supply LED street lights which use premium LEDs from Samsung, and provide the following benefits:
- Low maintenance, longer lifespan lighting
- Weatherproof body – IP65/66 sealed optical cavities
- Optically optimised glass lenses to prevent eye strain
- Uniformity in light distribution which maximises efficiency
- Fully operational in extreme weather
Don’t hesitate to contact us at Smart Lighting for all your enquiries surrounding LED street lighting.