Wednesday 29 June 2011

93. New pole


I learned some interesting new snippets yesterday.

Why on earth were these men erecting a slightly taller ugly pole next to the existing tall ugly pole opposite Johnshaven Stores?

Apparently the rules on the height of BT poles have changed, and wires crossing the road have to now be higher than previously.  So that explains the new, higher pole, but why do we have to have an ugly metal pole instead of a nice wooden one?

It's all because of the proximity to the railings surrounding the War Memorial.  They are not allowed to erect wooden poles beside spikey railings in case an engineer, who has climbed up using spiked boots,  falls onto the railings.  With a metal pole the engineers presumably use a cherry picker to reach the top.

So there you have it.  Do let me know if this information helps you to complete a crossword puzzle or win a pub quiz one day!

3 comments:

  1. Well I never!! As my grandad used to say 'you learn something new everyday'!!
    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Potentially even more interesting facts for connoisseurs of all things Johnshaveny/poley:
    1. This type of pole is known as a "non-climbable pole", which is just asking for someone to prove it wrong.
    2. The old pole was made of stainless steel, but the new one is galvanised steel. Much more better.
    3. The old pole was/is slightly squint (see photo), whereas the new one is totally, absolutely, perfectly vertical (according to the pole man anyway).
    4. The new pole is dug in a good 6 inches deeper than the old one (again, according to the pole man).
    5. The pole man was not a Pole.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now why did my name appear as 110356407917785238189? For the record, my real name is 110356407917765238145.

    ReplyDelete