Goleta City Council Agrees to Purchase LED Traffic Signals

At its latest meeting on Tuesday, the Goleta City Council approved the purchase of new LED traffic signal modules to replace existing ones that have been in operation as long as or longer than the lights’ typical lifespan of around ten years. City Manager Michelle Greene was authorized to purchase nearly $60,000 worth of eight- and 12-inch traffic signals and pedestrian countdown heads from JTB Supply Company, a traffic product provider.

The bulk purchase means that Goleta will be taking a more proactive approach to switching out the aging lights, avoiding the emergency change-outs that occur when lights fail. According to City of Goleta Public Works Director Rosemarie Gaglione, while there is no set completion date, the oldest lamps will be scheduled to be replaced first. Afterward, traffic lights that are already due for other maintenance work will receive their renovations. The busiest intersections, according to Gaglione, will have their renovations scheduled during hours of low use, to limit the disruption to traffic.

Combining signals’ routine maintenance with the new traffic signal replacements — as well as the bulk purchase of the signals — is intended as a cost-saving measure, in addition to staving off numerous potential failures in aging signals. The $59,746.25 expenditure amounts to roughly 36 percent of the city’s 2015-2016 budget appropriations for traffic signal maintenance.