A downside for LEDs in Northern states

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I found your cover story on "A Bright Future Using LEDs" in the February/March issue to be very interesting and informative. However, you failed to mention one very large concern for Procurement Professionals in Northern climates. LED traffic signals do not produce waste heat. Therefore, unlike their incandescent counterparts, [they] fail to melt ice and snow during winter storms. Several accidents, some fatal, have been caused by LED traffic lights being obscured by ice or snow. I do believe that LEDs have a very bright future, and since my organization is in Florida, it is definitely something that warrants review. Nevertheless, I think our associates in the Northern states should investigate this carefully before installing LEDs as traffic signals. Saving money is great, but as always, public safety needs to be the major focus.

— Randy Wallis, MSA, CPPB,
senior contracts administrator, St. Johns River (Fla.) Water Management District