Last Updated: February 10, 2023, 11:22 IST
The city authorities urged pedestrians to look out for any street lamps that appeared to be ‘drooping’. (Picture for representation/Shutterstock)
The problem was discovered when an ex-councillor discovered one smashed on the ground near his house and noted that six more on the street were missing their lamps
The New Zealand capital is facing a bizarre problem- city lights. It might sound strange, but the problem is real.
Wellington, in recent weeks, has encountered many city lights dropping without warning smashing the footpath below.
What adds to the problem is the gigantic size of the lights. The lamp heads weighed up to 15 kilograms, about the size of sack of rice or a microwave oven. The lamps are falling from a height of 4-6 metre, The Guardian reported.
The city authorities have also acknowledged the problem. Wellington city council spokesperson Richard MacLean said the council was aware of the problem and added if one fell on you, “I think it’d be safe to say that you would either be seriously injured or killed.”
The problem was discovered on Friday morning when an ex-councillor discovered one smashed on the ground near his house and noted that six more on the street were missing their lamps.
The metal attaching them to the lamp posts appeared to have shorn away, the report said.
“It appears to be a problem with metal fatigue or something, something going on with the fixings … that hold the light to the lamp (post),” MacLean said. “We’ve only had probably a handful of actual incidents,” he added.
The council initially said that about 100 lights were affected. However, it revised the number and said that there may be about 1000 of the faulty lamps scattered among the city’s 17,000 lamp-posts.
“We’re aware of probably one or two or three that have actually hit the ground. But that doesn’t mean to say we’re not taking the whole thing seriously,” Mc Lean said.
He has urged pedestrians to look out for any street lamps that appeared to be “drooping” since the lamps wilted before they dropped.
“If you see any sort of street lamps that are kind of starting to droop at a weird angle, give the council a call,” he added.
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