Falling Light Poles Have Bay Area People Pissed
Decades of (hopefully) dog urine have sped corrosion at the base of Bay Area light poles and four posts have fallen over in a pee-soaked heap, KTVU is reporting (via Boing Boing). No injuries have been reported due to the terrible tinkle tumbles.
City officials have replaced 160 poles on several streets due to corrosion on the aging poles. One collapsed pole Monday damaged a car.
The massive eroding power of urine, and probably thinner metal — which doesn’t have the alliterative power of pee-pee poles plunging — are to blame.
The falling poles are only part of the problem. San Francisco officials are combatting public urination with hydrophobic paint on favorite public peeing stations.
Reminder: We live in a civilized society, people. Pee on the cast-iron hydrants.
More by Aaron Cole
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This sounds like a job for local hero Elon Musk - composite light poles.
@Big Al--I don't think the issue is that the steel is US or Chinese as much as the amount of recycled steel and the thickness of the steel that is used in making these poles. The Chinese manufacturers are more prone to use less quality material in order to make a product that is lower in price. It is not that the Chinese aren't capable of making good products it is more that they take shortcuts to make a product in order to sell it cheaper. As for feral cats they are no different than other animals that are not native to an environment. Where I live people will dump dogs in the country that they no longer want because they think the animal will be happier in the country and can survive on its own. Dogs will run in packs and kill livestock in order to survive. Farmers will go out and shoot these dogs not because they hate dogs it is because they pose a threat to their livestock. Any creature that is not native to an environment can be a threat to native creatures in that environment. One only has to look at Florida that is being overrun with Anacondas that will kill a full size alligator. A house cat and a dog that is not wild are much different than a feral cat or dogs that run in packs.
I was in Tblisi Georgia (the country) and remember walking around and finding a path that would save me a good hike if I followed the road. As I ventured down the path I caught a pretty strong sent of urine, so I took the road. I'm all for peeing outside (as every real man is), but I don't know if it works out well in urban environments. One shouldn't be able to smell pee outside.
/* Begin Joke Alert */ An old woman was walking down the sidewalk in San Francisco, dragging two large green Hefty garbage bags. She passed by a shrubbery and one of the bags tore open, and it began spilling $20 bills across the street. A police officer passing by saw this, made a quick U-turn and stopped the woman. "Hey lady," he called to her, "you're ahh... dropping money all over the street!" She looked down, shrugged, and started retrieving the bills. The cop said to her, "Sorry, but I have to ask you, what's with this money???" The old lady says, "I'm going to the bank to deposit it. I live next to a game stadium in Russian Hills. I guess they don't have enuf bathrooms in the stadium 'cuz the drunks come out and wizz on the light pole in front of my house. Bad for the poles, ya know, makes 'em fall down someday. So I sit out there hiding behind my hedge. When they come up to take a wizz, I whip out my hedge clippers over their wackers and tell 'em TWENTY BUCKS OR YA LOOZE IT!". The cop shudders at that mental image for a moment. Then he asks her, "Ok... so what's in the other bag?" She shrugs and says, "Sometimes, they don't pay... " /* End Joke Alert */