Roadway Lighting

Importance of roadway lighting testing in the marketplace 

Roadway lighting plays a critical role in the overall safety of drivers and pedestrians and can significantly enhance the public use of outdoor spaces at night, increasing the overall quality of life in the area.

From a driver’s perspective, proper roadway illumination provides great assistance to drivers in identifying roadway patterns, environmental conditions, approaching streets, intersections, landmarks, and pedestrians, wildlife and other vehicles to minimize collisions, injuries, and even fatalities.

Pedestrians and the general public also benefit significantly from quality roadway lighting. Pedestrian crossing areas are more easily identified under proper roadway lighting and studies have shown an increase in the perceived sense of safety and security where proper roadway and outdoor area lighting is installed. 

Other important considerations regarding the proper use of roadway and outdoor area lighting should be taken to avoid negative consequences such as light pollution, sky glow, light trespass and glare. These unwanted characteristics can negatively impact human experience and cause detrimental environmental impacts, so it is essential to maximize the performance characteristics of the product and ensure proper installation in the field.  

As light poles continue to evolve to include additional functionalities such as traffic and weather monitoring, wireless cellular signals, and other sensor and communication technology, the need for EMC and interoperability testing is also increasingly important.

Street lighting certification for safety and performance

UL Solutions offers a full range of testing and certification services for safety and performance through its worldwide network of laboratories and engineering facilities. 

Our global network of laboratories and expertise is essential when seeking to meet all regional safety certification requirements, verify key product performance characteristics and qualify for utility rebate programs in the U.S. and other countries.  

Regional standards for street lighting safety certification

For North American safety certification, roadway luminaires are evaluated for compliance with UL 1598, the Standard for Safety of Luminaires, including the applicable wet location requirements. As most roadway luminaires now incorporate the use of LED technology, UL 8750, the Standard for LED Equipment for Use in Lighting Products, is also included in the evaluation. 

Additionally, many of these products are evaluated for Ingress Protection (IP), whereby they can obtain an applicable IP rating per EN 60529, which signifies the product’s ability to withstand penetration from moisture and dust.  

For global markets, roadway luminaires are regularly evaluated to the following standards and requirements:

• CB certification IEC 60598-2-3
• ENEC certification  EN 60598-2-3
• ENEC+  EN 62722-2-1; EN 62717 modified by ENEC, plus EPRS 001, 002
• IEC TR 62778 photobiological test
• EN 62338 photobiological evaluation
• EMC+EMF: EN 55015, EN 61000-3-2; EN 61000-3-3; EN 61574; EN 62493

The SASO 2927 requirements for Roadway Lighting leverage the following requirements:

• IEC 60598-2-3     Safety 
• IEC 62471            Photobiological risk evaluation 
• IEC 60529            IP  test
• IEC 62262            IK test
• ISO 9227              Salt spray test (corrosion test)
• ANSI C136.31      Vibration test

Performance-based roadway lighting testing

For performance testing, Design Lights Consortium (DLC) certification has become the standard for utility rebate programs, under which roadway and tunnel lighting are expected to comply with the new version 5.1 DLC requirements for solid-state lighting. Typical tests performed include:

• ANSI/IES LM-79 photometry testing
• Backlight, uplight, and glare (BUG)
• Controllability (dimming, integral controls, control communication)

Additionally, many municipalities have developed their own performance-based specifications that often include:

• IP Testing per IEC 60529
• IK Testing per IEC 62262
• Vibration Testing per ANSI C136.31

Contact us to get the conversation started about your roadway lighting project today.