On Public (Dis)Utilities…

It's amazing how often so-called public utilities make life hazardous for the people of Perth.

For some months recently, Western Power had various large holes in the footpath on William Street outside Hyde Park Court, forcing people either to walk in the road (this photograph was completely unstaged!) or to cross busy William Street twice - at least once without the benefit of any traffic control. Repeated representations by Town of Vincent staff did eventually get this fixed, but Western Power never did explain why it thought it acceptable to inconvenience the public for so long.

My wife did ask one of the workers who were there one day (most days there was no one there doing anything) and was told that a major problem had been found that required some specialised attention. But that still doesn't explain why Western Power doesn't adopt the practice of most other places where a temporary cover (often a steel sheet or timber platform) would be placed over the hole, so that pedestrian access could be maintained.

And then there are the Telstra yellow fences, which surely must be the Perth equivalent of the UK's red traffic cones even though not quite so fecund. I note, though, from the above picture, that Western Power knows all about traffic cones!

The Perth Voice recently ran an article with a photograph of John Hyde and one of the offending fences.

I am sure those who read this article will be sad to hear that the fence with which John had a photographic relationship (which had resided outside my home for nearly 12 months) has disappeared. Not, however, because the phone line has been fixed, but because someone walked off with it during the night.

It has gone walkabout twice before, but been found nearby - but this time someone presumably decided to take it on a permanent vacation (although what you would do with such a fence (apart from the obvious) is beyond me). Quite possibly, they understandably got fed up with having the footpath half-blocked - for which I sincerely apologise - but I do need a phone line and Telstra will not, it seems, reinstate my underground connection.

Anyway, I rang Telstra - I think the person I spoke to must have been somewhere far from Australia, as she apparently didn't know that a number with area code 08 and postcode 6050 would be in Western Australia - she asked me twice which state I was in.

I tried to explain that I didn't think it was satisfactory service in the first place for a temporary line to be laid across the surface of the footpath for nearly 12 months, but I don't think the message got through. I did, however, get some response when I said that the cable (sans fence) was a trip hazard - and was duly told someone would be out this afternoon.

And, indeed, someone did come (Yeah!) - and the fence has been replaced (Yeah?) - and this time strapped to a fence post so it can't walk away, making me wonder if this is going to be a permanent arrangement (Oh! No!). All this in the time it took me to make and drink a cup of coffee away from my office at the front of the house - so I didn't actually see it done and no one came to the door to tell me.

BUT I still have only a temporary phone connection - and I rather suspect I will have gone back to the bottom of the queue as there will now be a record of some action having taken place on 14 September 2009.

Next time I ring Telstra, I shall prepare myself with a range of descriptions when asked what state I am in - indignation and frustration come to mind, as do other less polite terms.