Solar Lighting Upgrades Make Carrum Crossings Safer at Night

Station Street in Carrum is a busy community hub connecting the redesigned Carrum railway station with nearby shops, parks and the beach. Recently revitalised as part of the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project, the new train station and rail line have been elevated to unlock 1.2 hectares of open space below. A shared use path was also added, with six new pedestrian crossings traversing Station Street to provide safer walking and cycling access. 

Although the new pedestrian crossings were already illuminated with grid-connected street lights, not all of the crossings were compliant with AS/NZS 1158.3.1 PX1 lighting standards. Leadsun’s Business Development Manager, Stu Templeman explained, “pedestrian crossing compliance ensures that crossings used at night are not just well lit so pedestrians can see where they are going, but so that pedestrians can be seen by drivers.” This is an important difference that regular street and road lighting standards typically don’t address. “Pedestrian crossing compliance has a high vertical illumination requirement, ensuring pedestrians are visible to drivers approaching from both directions. Otherwise, you can have this situation where pedestrians can step onto a crossing in front of oncoming traffic thinking drivers can see them. But without the right lighting, they can’t—they’re effectively invisible to traffic.”   

In Carrum, the situation was an accident waiting to happen. Kingston City Council needed a pedestrian crossing light solution that could be implemented quickly. But conventional grid connected street lighting is notoriously slow, usually taking months and sometimes years if there are long delays getting electricity connected.