WHY URBAN BOXES ARE JUST A PEST
THOSE of us who once relied on them in order to do our jobs feel a special affinity with telephone boxes.
They were, for my first decade in journalism, my hotline to newsdesks. No phone box, no news.
A bright red one nestled in the middle of nowhere brings pleasure today where, a generation ago, it brought blessed relief.
So regulator Ofcom’s undertaking to protect these remote communications stations which, even in 2022, can save the day, is most welcome.
But what about urban call boxes? Why are they still there? They are not red and often not functional. They are graffitied eyesores with booted-in windows and unbecoming odours.
They are derelict monuments to yesteryear’s dialling habits – and accidents waiting to happen for those walking the pavements, heads down, engrossed in their phones.
If their only discernible purpose in life is as an obstacle for the iPhone addict whose device rendered them obsolete, then it is time to clear them away.