Purple street lights in Columbus: Pretty or problematic?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Faulty LED lights are putting a colorful twist on a typical street light.

City of Columbus leaders said they know of 25 street lights that have turned purple, and they're located on Valleyview Drive near Hague Avenue in west Columbus.

The lights leave their reflections on cars, in puddles, and on the street.

"Oh I thought it was beautiful man," said Joe Moss, who lives near Valleyview Drive.

"Myself, my wife, we both like them better than the whites," said another man who lives off Valleyview Drive. "They weren’t as harsh as the white LED lights. They’re a little easier on the eyes. They’re softer, but they’re bright enough that you can see everything you need to see."

While they feel the purple comes with perks, some people said it's problematic.

"When you’re driving, especially on the roads and stuff like that, the streetlights should be yellow or white," said Ahmed Sajjad, who works at a store near the strip of purple lights. "When you’re driving in the one lane and the traffic coming from other side, so it’s harder for the driver, because the yellow lights coming from the other car and the purple lights."

"It’s definitely not just a Columbus thing," said Kristian Fenner, Assistant Administrator for the City of Columbus Division of Power. "This light is a very standard industry light for roadway lighting. So, this is not something that is specific to our area."

Fenner said this is happening to lights across the country that come from a certain manufacturer.

"There’s a phosphor coating that goes on these light modules and the typical, normal light for LED is purple or blue, but the coating is what allows the color to turn it white, and somehow this coating is just degrading overtime," she said.

Fenner said the LED manufacturer is aware of the issue, and said the flaw is fixed for the future. But, there's always the possibility a purple light pops up on another street in the city.

"These lights are industry-standard, and so it’s something that we use throughout the city, and it’s something we keep in inventory whenever we have damaged lights to replace them, so they could be anywhere," Fenner said.

For some, that's a sight for sore eyes.

"Honestly, I wish they would replace them all with those purple," said a man who lives near the purple lights.

Fenner said there's no way to tell which lights could be faulty until they turn purple.

City crews are expected to swap out the faulty LEDs for new lights sometime in January.