A brand new SUV hit a McCoy Lane light pole on Sept. 24 at 7:19 a.m., trashing the vehicle and destroying the city of Santa Maria’s property.
Richard Dupuis of the Santa Maria Department of Public Works said what they call a “knockdown” occurs about once a week in the city.
“It’s an epidemic,” he said—and this rampant wreckage is costing the city money.
The price tag on replacing a city streetlight depends on the amount of damage done, the time of day, and whether it happens on the weekend; scanning through his records, Dupuis said he had bills ranging from $2,700 to $4,400 per light post.
When the knockdown occurs after normal business hours or on the weekend, a city worker is called in on overtime pay. In such cases, the city’s goal isn’t a full replacement, but merely to ensure that the scene is safe. City workers wait until normal business hours to proceed with any further work.
“We try to give taxpayers the biggest bang for their buck,” Dupuis said.
The department tries to salvage parts whenever it can, but such efforts are difficult. The 30-foot tall poles are designed to sheer off as a safety measure, and the mast arms and light fixtures are often destroyed when they hit the ground. Dupuis said he has yet to see a fixture that survives the fall.
In the event of a knockdown, the department bills the driver’s insurance for the cost of the replacement, but if he or she doesn’t have insurance, the city is forced to foot the bill. Dupuis said he didn’t have an exact number to illustrate how much the city spends fixing light poles that have been damaged in traffic accidents.
This article appears in Oct 2-9, 2014.