What we really need is for all lamps to be infrared and for all cars and people to be equipped with infrared vision

Then we would be complaining about light pollution blurring out all those brightly infrared stars in the sky!

Not really, since we don't view IR with the naked eye. Also, it could be narrow band IR so that observatories could filter it out.

If we had infrared vision, wouldn't we want to view IR with the naked eye?

I didn't mean native IR vision, I meant IR vision by using some sort of infrared display goggles/hud/eyepiece, something that you would just equip when you needed it, and remove when you didn't. Your natural vision would still be normal.

that would be impractical for pedestrians who might not simply trust that the drivers see them.

It's common in other countries to walk, even outside city centres.

if pedestrians are safe at present then they should be just as safe here.

I like to walk too, but depending on where you live in the US it can be quite impractical.

If it was dark and cars didn't have any visible lights, I think walking along the road would be a pretty scary experience.

It's also impractical because many roads in the US don't have a shoulder or a pedestrian lane.

but I don't know if it would at all be practical

But they would be visible since you would be wearing IR goggles

Actually it's really not that hard to cut back on light pollution just by having sensible lighting regulations (see Flagstaff, AZ, USA for one of the most famous cities to enact such regulations).

As I said, impractical.

It's not "just by having sensible lighting regulations". Another issue is something that will enforce them.

You make a law. Police enforce the law.

If the government decides to stop enforcing its own laws, then revolt and form a new government that will. It's not that difficult of a concept.

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I think you overestimate the power of politicians.

Istanbul, Turkey