The upgrade has seen more than 50,000 old-fashioned 240-volt incandescent globes replaced with energy-saving LED technology.

Premier Morris Iemma was joined by Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal and Member for Parramatta Tanya Gadiel at the official changeover of the lights at the intersection of Alfred and Hassall Streets.

“NSW is leading the way with green traffic lights,” Mr Iemma said.

“Our upgrade will see a saving of 10,000 tonnes a year in carbon emissions and around $1 million a year in energy costs for running more than 3700 traffic light intersections across NSW.

“The new lights are more visible in bright, sunny conditions because they don’t reflect the sun, and they are easier to see among street lights and shop signs and from a distance.

“Improved visibility means improved safety on our roads. Better traffic signals give motorists as much notice as possible of traffic light changes on long stretches of road, allowing for more stopping time.”

Minister for Roads Eric Roozendaal said this was one of the of the biggest greenhouse gas reduction projects undertaken by a Iemma Government agency.

“The upgraded traffic lights use just 11 per cent of the energy previously required to power the incandescent globes, saving more than 10 gigawatt hours of power a year,” Mr Roozendaal said.

“The LED technology produces further savings through reduced general maintenance requirements because LEDs have a lifespan of around seven years, compared to around 12 months for incandescent globes.

“This means fewer lamp failures, increasing road safety for motorists.”

Ms Gadiel said more than 50,000 240-volt incandescent lamps had been progressively replaced with Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology traffic signals since October 2004.

“The changeover will have significant benefits for the NSW traffic light network,” Ms Gadiel said.

“There are around 3700 sets of traffic lights across the state and more than 1000 now have LED signals, with the remainder using quartz halogen globes, which were introduced in 1985.

“Halogen traffic lights use around 44 per cent less energy compared to incandescent traffic signals, which has an enormously positive impact on the environment long term.”

The old incandescent lantern bodies removed in the upgrade were recycled.
Sydney’s first traffic lights were installed in 1933 on the corner of Kent and Market streets, relieving police officers from point duty.

The RTA is offering an incandescent traffic signal lantern to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney for their collection.