Analysis of streetlight illuminance in residential areas in Kuala Lumpur

Safety in residential areas, especially at night is essential as the economy and population rises. Streetlight enhances the safety level in residential areas. The purpose of this paper is to examine the actual measurement of streetlight illuminance at night and perceptions of residents on aspects related to streetlight illuminance by a questionnaire survey. Three residential areas were selected namely Taman Dato' Keramat (TK) (comprising mainly old detached houses), Kampung Pasir (KP) (mainly traditional village houses) and Petaling Jaya (PJ) (modern detached houses). The average streetlight illuminance at all measurement points in the TK area was 7.0lx, the KP area 15.9lx and the PJ area 6.9lx. Consideration regarding the layout of trees and streetlights is also addressed in this paper. It was found that residents' perceptions concerning the brightness of streetlights corresponded with the measurement results in the KP area, whereas, it did not in the TK and PJ areas because of the high frequency of low illuminance points. Obviously, the number of low illuminance points should be reduced so that residents will feel safe. At least two-thirds of the respondents who expressed very bright or "bright" about the streetlight illuminance felt that their residential areas are "very safe" or "safe".