From Lose Friends Radio comes this ‘Believe it or not’ segment Number 24, called ‘Poles apart’. You can read the transcript below, or listen to the original broadcast by clicking on the green play button:
Jonar_Nader_24_BION_Poles_apart.mp3
Believe it or not, according to Jonar Nader, ‘Friends of the Earth’ have challenged local councils and roads authorities to undertake an audit into the wastage and duplication that takes place with poles used for street signs.
The group has estimated that over 40% of all the posts and poles are unnecessary, saying that they can be eliminated if authorities worked together. At the moment each government instrumentality has to go to the expense of erecting their own poles and posts for all sorts of on street signs and traffic signals.
Leading researcher Mr Mark Stern said, ‘Next time you are in the street, take a look at how many poles there are just inches apart and ask yourself why are all the signs not affixed to one pole?’
Mr Stern estimated that in a country like Australia, millions of tonnes of metal can be saved if authorities shared this infrastructure.
Other environmentally-friendly suggestions have included the narrowing of the white line used as road markers. If the white lines were just half an inch narrower and five inches shorter, we could make huge reductions in the amount of paint used. This is not only better for the environment but the financial savings from this initiative would exceed 10 million dollars each year.
Street furniture and signage usually go unnoticed. Try counting the number of poles, posts, markers, and other unnecessary items in your street, and then think of the energy it takes to make each item. Simple savings such as these could make a significant impact on the environment.
We are encouraged to recycle but Friends of the Earth estimate that eliminating just one metal street pole provides the same benefits as recycling 34,000 milk cartons.
Believe it… or not.
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