Utility pole’s long gone, but tangle of wires remains

When a utility pole is removed, but not the wiring that provides it with power, people will surely be shocked.

The concrete standards often used by the city in its ongoing replacement of aging utility poles are at least as sturdy as wooden ones, but they’re far from invincible. They can be knocked down by a runaway vehicle that jumps a curb or damaged by a collision that crumbles the concrete around its base and causes it to erode.

If no calamity befalls them, it is a good bet a concrete pole will last 30 years or so and maybe a lot longer. But when they’re finally taken down, it’s a good idea to also get rid of the wires that connect to it.

Iris Ward emailed to say that for two years, she has been walking past a jumble of electrical wiring next to a curb on the south side of Overlea Blvd., west of Don Mills Rd.

Ward, who says she has been a loyal reader of this paper for 75 years, described them as “a bunch of wires sticking out of the grass.”

We weren’t sure what we’d find when we went there. But it didn’t take long to spot wires protruding from the base of a utility pole.

We didn’t fool around with them to see if an electrical current is still running through the wires and figure it is highly unlikely.

They were probably left by workers who thought a replacement pole would be put up in short order. Status: We’ve sent a note to Mallory Cunnington, who deals with media for Toronto Hydro, suggesting if there is no plan to put up a new pole, the wires could be snipped off. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer or call us at 416-869-4823 or email jlakey@thestar.ca. To read our blog, go to thestar.com/news/the_fixer. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.