Frank Scarpitti the Mayor of Markham City, Canada announced on 15th Oct 2013 that it is replacing the High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps to LED intelligent street lights for city’s main lines, this $7 million project main focus on energy-saving, cost recovery plan in seven years, a total of 12,300 street lights will be finished installation before May in next year.

Frank Scarpitti said, the LED intelligent streetlight project started three years ago, during which there are many excellent vendors around the world bid on it, and finally chose Philips as supplier is because its factory located in Markham city, also their technology is leading in the LED industry.

“LED intelligent streetlights have many advantages”, Frank Scarpitti added: “it can adjust brightness automatically according to the outdoor environment, provide the most natural light to motorists and pedestrians; the streetlight will be monitored directly by computer, save maintenance time and costs; with unique environmentally night function, people can watch the stars even under sufficient illumination; lamp lifespan about 20 years, is four times of the existing lamp”.

One of the Markham Councillor revealed, when the LED intelligent street lighting program was still in its infancy, many vendors had expressed interesting in it, also among them are some companies from China. In order to cooperate with Markham, these companies gives a lot of benefits, such as provide free LED street light equipment around the municipal government, or provide free installation in the area outside the scope of intelligent street lighting, but municipal government selected Philips eventually, certain reasons are because it is the “localization.”

Frank Scarpitti inspects street lamp

Markham Municipal Government and the contractor reminded resident, during the installation, the public may find the lights near their homes suddenly gone, or more bright light than before etc., similar problems will be resolved within 24 hours.

Streetlight replacement project will be completed before May 2014, after then Markham will become one of city that first uses LED intelligent streetlights in North American.