Flag poles and flashing lights
We have just returned from a Club site where the van next to us had a flag pole with flashing lights all the way up, and flashing lights around the edge outside their awning. These faced our awning and were visible when we were sitting outside. They were still flashing when I visited the facilities block at 2.00am as one is wont to do occasionally....
I really feel the Club ought to issue a policy on these intrusive illuminations not least because all members end up paying the cost of the electricity for their use when they are a distinct nuisance to those of us who enjoy dark skies at night. Plus, these lights can trigger epilepsy in sufferers so are more than just an inconvenience to some.
I think I will write to the Club to find out their thinking on this issue. Whether I get a reply or not remains to be seen...
Comments
-
Did you ask your neighbours to kindly turn them off as they were causing you distress?
1 -
I do agree with some of what you say but I’d suggest the likes should have a turn off time, probably the same as that for noise, think it’s ten pm if memory serves me right. That would satisfy most I think and could be a request made by the club on behalf of much of the membership for the reasons given.
2 -
This is the rule
a. Be mindful of the noise levels on the pitch at all times, ensuring in particular that you do not disturb other guests after 10pm.
May be this rule could be amended to include light disturbance along with noise levels.4 -
There’s already something in the rules about respecting the comfort and convenience of others.
0 -
Why are they needed at all? Flags are useful if it is a rally group but otherwise I don’t see why. And I can’t see any need for flashing lights. We need less light not more. I appreciate some will be solar and some 12 v but they generally disturb the peace, quiet and return to nature. Nature doesn’t light itself up.
7 -
We were on a private site in Cornwall a couple of weeks ago where they are banned! Thank goodness. We have a PIR activated ‘approach’ light toward the front of the caravan and similar on the service side of the caravan. On some sites in Europe we have been asked to turn those off! Other than that we have 3 low level solar lamps we put by the awning storm straps fit safety.
5 -
It seems somewhat ironic that the Club seem to be switching off lights around sites only to allow these monstrosities. What is also puzzling is that the members that construct them can't actually see them, why they think others will enjoy them I have no idea. Also aren't there some medical conditions which are negatively impacted by flashing lights? Best not to mention wind socks and flags flapping all night! Perhaps someone who uses one of these poles could explain to us the reasoning behind using them?
David
8 -
A few years ago we said to our friends on site ' I like that scarecrow on the flag pole' a couple of days later on site a flag pole with a scarecrow was sited on our pitch, we have no flashing led lights, don't erect it at full height and take it down when windy, on the plus side all the kids love it.
0 -
To me they are just cheap tat, and the person who puts them up just wants stand out and be noticed. Ban them they degrade the site / club
10 -
You are quite correct David. These flashing lights can trigger an epileptic fit in those who are susceptible. I pointed this out to one person and they simply said that their son suffers from ADHD and he likes the lights so they stay.....
There is also the issue of energy costs. We are all paying for these illuminations whether we like them or not. As someone else has said, it is ironic that there are signs in all facilities blocks asking people to conserve energy but people ignore that. On some sites in Europe they are banned. Perhaps the Club should do the same? At least if they don't want to ban them perhaps they ought to charge a supplement of around £5 a night for the privilege and put all those users of flagpoles and lights in a separate area so they are not a nuisance to others?
6 -
Shame somebody doesn't accidentally cut through the cables with a mower or strimmer.
One of the main reasons I've heard for the flag poles is 'so that the kids can find the van'. Lordy lordy! Are they safe to be out alone?
2 -
Jill
Your post amused me because we were once at the Buxton Site and two units, in different parts of the site were flying Norwich City flags so not sure that would help the kids get back to the right van!
I say give the kids a site plan and get them into map reading at a basic level, I don't think Google Maps would help, especially at Buxton!
David
1 -
Personally I don’t have any issue with either lights or flags, although I can see that the flashing variety could be harmful to folk with specific medical conditions. I wouldn’t like to see a total ban on these items. Perhaps the club could outlaw the flashing variety and set a curfew of 11pm. As to flag poles I do think some are ridiculously high and a limit of say 1 metre above the outfit would be sensible. The power consumption argument doesn’t really fly. They are all LED these days and consume very little, compared to other appliances. Perhaps the club could try this approach first, if it doesn’t work a total ban could be imposed. For the record we don’t have either a flag pole or flashing lights
1 -
To Just to be factually correct about a few points in the OP.
Costs, really next to nothing, 100 LED bulbs would cost about one penny for every 12 hours they are on. If the OP has a tv in their outfit I'm paying for them as I never use a tv in mine!
As to affecting those with epilepsy, it does not affect all sufferers, only 3 to 5% of all epilepsy sufferers have photosensitive epilepsy where a fit might be brought on by flashing lights and even then it has to be in in the range of 16 to 25 flashes per second so these lights on sites are very unlikely to be in that range. Also if you consider the amounts of flashing lights at Christmas in shopping centres, houses - inside and out, it's not really a problem in my view.
Also dark skies on a club site? At this time of year as well? There will always be some lights near service points and facilities in any case.
So it's really down to personal preference? Personally I don't mind them at all.
0 -
Jeekers, not sure I agree with this post, I mean Happy Christmas everybody.
I find it strange that we can have a vehicle, made from a huge number of different products that have an impact on the world, powered by fossil fuel, that roams the world, using pitches that could be used for many other things such as houses….and we feel we have every right to this……. but we aren’t happy that the guy next door put up a flag pole and had solar powered flashing lights !!! I’m lost for words, and that is quite unusual 🥺🥺😉
0 -
So many times a beautiful view has been spoiled by someone's flag, which the owner can't see from his van as someone has said. But for us the worst is flashing lights as they bring on a migraine in my husband very quickly. You can carefully choose your pitch and then have a neighbour move and someone with lights etc turn up on there.
5 -
All this chatter about the costs and environmental impact sourcing materials is digressing. Personally I couldnt care less about those factors. For me it is very simple, they are tacky and have no place outside a seaside funfair or shopping centre.
3 -
at one time a few years ago , people would have gone over and talked to the offending person, asking them to switch the lights off at night and that would be that, Then a couple of years ago it was seen as the warden's job to sort it out, nowadays no one says or does anything until they get home and either contacts the club with their complaint or writes about it on here , but nothing gets done .
Recently I was on a site where a dog was tied up to a tree from early morning to late at night as the trade people from a few caravans went out in their vans working all day. The dog barked all day but no one did anything, neither did we. On the Friday as the dog got caught up in the plastic line, the warden came down , saw the dog was okay, left and the dog carried on barking .
0 -
Who gets to decide what is and isn’t tacky, suitable etc ? As you have said they aren’t causing any harm, so what really is the issue, other than you feel they are tacky ? My friend thinks caravans are awful things and can’t understand why anyone would dream of having one …… but fully accepts it’s my and your right to, if that is what we want.
2 -
A few years ago I was subjected to the owners perceived joys of a light pole. The next morning I politely requested he turn the thing off at 10pm and he obliged. But to be honest, I cannot see why I was put in this situation. They are light disturbance and annoying, shouting out, look at me. A caravan site is a shared place where we should respect other campers spaces and flashing a light across it is to blunt, as antisocial as loud music, dogs barking, kids kicking a ball at your van. Ban the things.
Colin
2 -
Where did I say they don’t do any harm?! I couldn’t care less about the spurious arguments about energy use, environmental impact, where and how they are made etc. However, I am surmising you don’t impose your caravan upon your neighbours holidays? Who gets to decide these awful lights and poles should be imposed on those of us who simply do not want them anywhere near us? I can pretty much guarantee you won’t see them on the continent, must be a peculiarly tasteless British ‘thing’.
0 -
It is a shame that when folk don’t like something there immediate response is that it should be banned. I seem to recall a thread a while ago where some members didn’t consider it acceptable to pitch with facing doors. Perhaps we should just accept that we are all different and work at getting along with our neighbours.
3 -
Ah flags at rallies! There’s one local centre with 35 rules of how to behave at a rally - including a warning that if the head prefect hoists a yellow flag one is not allowed to move a car without his express permission.
0 -
The Caravan Club claims to be all-inclusive so therefore we members have to make allowances for others who have differing mental abilities from ourselves. Some persons find comfort and reassurance from these lights and while other members may be sleeping soundly through the night these other persons may not.
0
