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Traffic lights using state-of-the-art LED illumination use 90 percent less electricity, offer a much longer service life and are more durable than their incandescent counterparts. Taking advantage of the countless benefits, cities around the country have been replacing traditional filament-based traffic signal bulbs with LEDs for years. Unfortunately, the low-watt LED units burn much cooler than its white-hot counterpart making it unable to melt snow off weather exposed traffic fixtures.

"I've never had to put up with this in the past," said Duane Kassens, a driver from Indiana who was involved in an accident attributed to a snow-clogged traffic light. "The police officer told me the new lights weren't melting the snow. How is that safe?" It obviously isn't.

Municipalities around the country are taking different steps to keep their signals shining brightly in the face of Mother Nature. Crews in St. Paul, Minnesota, use compressed air to keep their lights clean. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, city workers brush the snow off by hand in a labor-intensive process. Until a fix arrives, it is best to take the advice of Dave Hansen, a traffic engineer with the Green Bay Department of Public Works. Treat a blocked signal as if the power is out. "If there's any question, you err on the side of caution," says Hansen.

Source Autoblog

Same deal on Cars with LED tails. Once they get covered in snow you can't see them.

...........and HID headlights don't either; cars so equipped should have wipers.

2001 ZTS,Dec 18 2009, 10:35 AM Wrote:...........and HID headlights don't either; cars so equipped should have wipers.
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What? Really? Uh oh.......

My HID's burned pretty hot....maybe thats because they were $50 ebay HID kits.

LED's put off more heat than traditional incandescent lights do. They just put off the heat in a different location. A typical LED light puts off about 40% of its input wattage in heat. Instead of projecting it forward from the light source like an incandescent does, the LED generates its heat at the back end.

So to say that LED streetlights can't melt snow is a misnomer. If the heat from the LED's was used properly they would have no problem melting snow.

habmann,Dec 18 2009, 01:51 PM Wrote:LED's put off more heat than traditional incandescent lights do. They just put off the heat in a different location. A typical LED light puts off about 40% of its input wattage in heat. Instead of projecting it forward from the light source like an incandescent does, the LED generates its heat at the back end.

So to say that LED streetlights can't melt snow is a misnomer. If the heat from the LED's was used properly they would have no problem melting snow.
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The problem is though, what do you do to design a system to force the waste heat from the rear of the LED fixture to the front to aid in snow clearing? Even then, how much of the waste heat could such a system be expected to recover? :huh:

NefCanuck

Yes but the input voltage is a lot lower on an LED than a traditional bulb. So the heat output may be higher in percentage but the actuall numbers are going to be lower no matter where the heat is generated.

clearly all they have to do is engineer sumthing to go on the lights to melt the snow..

o wait that would use power..

lol i liked the old school lights.

2001 ZTS,Dec 18 2009, 11:35 AM Wrote:...........and HID headlights don't either; cars so equipped should have wipers.
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they used too, like older models of volvos and saabs had them, but thats why almost all European cars sold with the HIDs have bumper mounted heated headlight washers that spray the lights with warm washer fluid.