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New Zealand

Residents warn all Wellington street lights are at risk of falling | New Zealand

It all started with a street lamp. It began to droop, wilt and sway like a heavy poppy bulb on a weak stem. After that it fell. It fell from the sky with a weight of 11.2 kg and crashed into the sidewalk Wellington.

Then one lamp became a handful, and complaints were filed with the city council and local newspapers. Pictures of them spread like discarded metal seed pods on gutters and banks.

A handful grew to an estimated 100 – all affected by cohesion disorders – Fixed quickly to 1,000.

1,000 became 17,000. All street lights in New Zealand’s capital are at risk of falling without warning onto the pavement beneath them.

Wellington City Council announced Wednesday afternoon that all street lights suffer from the same failure, prompting “anyone who sees the drooping lights” to report.

No injuries so far, but the 11kg lamp can cause serious damage. They weigh about the same as a grown turkey, a car tire, or two bowling balls.

“I think it’s safe to say you’re either seriously injured or you’re dead,” council spokesman Richard McLean told The Guardian in February.

According to Congress, the problematic part is the aluminum alloy adapters that attach the LED lamps to utility poles throughout the city. The council announced that the adapter “is not suitable for Wellington’s high winds, causing the lamp to sag or, in the worst case, detach and fall to the ground”.

The council has a record of 17 lamps falling to the ground in the past four years, but 161 lamps have been reported to be hanging since the problem became widely known this year. Mayor Torrey Wanow said the situation presented a “clear and unacceptable safety risk”.

“Anyone who sees the drooping lights is encouraged to notify us immediately,” Wanow said in a statement.

With just 600 lamps repaired since the failure was first observed, the work ahead poses a major challenge for New Zealand’s capital. The council said it would cost around NZ$6 million to fix them all and had sought funding from the central government. In high wind areas, prioritize the heavier 3,200 lamps.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/12/every-street-lamp-in-wellington-at-risk-of-falling-down-residents-warned Residents warn all Wellington street lights are at risk of falling | New Zealand

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