I Told You So: a story in two parts
Part 1:
Several months ago, some time in the fall, a telephone pole behind my house got hit by a car. This was a regular occurrence, as the telephone pole straddles a lane and a parking lot. The parking lot belongs to the dep below my house. The drivers who pull in and out of their are for the most part buying booze, often more booze, or are rushed delivery people. Somehow, neither of these categories understand the practical use of a rear view mirror, or the concept that a pole will not get out of your way. When the pole got hit last fall, I decided that it was sagging dangerously towards our house, and given the high cracks running through the base, it was time to have it taken away. I called Bell and they were happy to replace it with a new, less saggy one. I informed them that this wasn't just a one-time impact, but a continual wear and tear, and that the new pole would require a concrete or metal base. Something to do more damage to vehicles than to the pole. This request fell on deaf ears.
Part 2:
Friday morning I woke up, had my coffee, and left for work. I turned the corner and walked up the street only to stop at the parking lot. A Police car was parked on the street, and the lane and parking lot were blocked off by yellow police tape. I looked to where the pole used to be and saw only a jagged stump. Lying next to the said stump, was the pole, having fallen on a snow mound. Fortunately, it fell towards the slack in its cables, otherwise, my phone would have cut out, and likely the electricity as well. I stopped in to speak to my landlord. The pole fell in the spot that he parks his car EVERY DAY, except that day, because his car was in the garage. A delivery truck backed in to the pole and it came straight down offering little resistance. I didn't see the truck, but I can only guess that any damage to it would have been purely aesthetic. My landlord has suggested to bell time and time again that they move the pole to the corner of the lane and the parking lot so that people would be less likely to hit it. They are willing to do that, but at my landlords expense. Needless to say, it's cheaper to just let it get knocked down so that bell can pay to pick it back up.
Several months ago, some time in the fall, a telephone pole behind my house got hit by a car. This was a regular occurrence, as the telephone pole straddles a lane and a parking lot. The parking lot belongs to the dep below my house. The drivers who pull in and out of their are for the most part buying booze, often more booze, or are rushed delivery people. Somehow, neither of these categories understand the practical use of a rear view mirror, or the concept that a pole will not get out of your way. When the pole got hit last fall, I decided that it was sagging dangerously towards our house, and given the high cracks running through the base, it was time to have it taken away. I called Bell and they were happy to replace it with a new, less saggy one. I informed them that this wasn't just a one-time impact, but a continual wear and tear, and that the new pole would require a concrete or metal base. Something to do more damage to vehicles than to the pole. This request fell on deaf ears.
Part 2:
Friday morning I woke up, had my coffee, and left for work. I turned the corner and walked up the street only to stop at the parking lot. A Police car was parked on the street, and the lane and parking lot were blocked off by yellow police tape. I looked to where the pole used to be and saw only a jagged stump. Lying next to the said stump, was the pole, having fallen on a snow mound. Fortunately, it fell towards the slack in its cables, otherwise, my phone would have cut out, and likely the electricity as well. I stopped in to speak to my landlord. The pole fell in the spot that he parks his car EVERY DAY, except that day, because his car was in the garage. A delivery truck backed in to the pole and it came straight down offering little resistance. I didn't see the truck, but I can only guess that any damage to it would have been purely aesthetic. My landlord has suggested to bell time and time again that they move the pole to the corner of the lane and the parking lot so that people would be less likely to hit it. They are willing to do that, but at my landlords expense. Needless to say, it's cheaper to just let it get knocked down so that bell can pay to pick it back up.