Street light the root cause of Lydia Drive problem
The street light is leaning precariously over the road with a bougainvillea holding it in place.
LA Lucia resident Fiona Plant has provided clarity to the problem plaguing Lydia Drive for the last few weeks. Two weeks ago Northglen News incorrectly reported on a ‘tree’ that has taken over an entire lane on the road and because it hung so low it was virtually impossible for motorists to make use of both lanes.
However at the centre of the problem is a street light that is leaning precariously over the road with a bougainvillea holding it in place, Plant said.
“With the heavy rains last month, the street light pole on the verge outside my property came out of its groove.
A large hole formed around the base of the street lamp causing it to tip towards the road pulling the bougainvillea which had grown upright alongside it. In fact the only thing holding the street lamp in place is the bougainvillea.
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“In the past whenever the bougainvillea had grown we had trimmed it back but this time it was virtually impossible for us to cut back the branches because it would lead to a bigger problem.
We’ve managed to trim the branches back a little which has made travelling along Lydia Drive a lot easier but I’m concerned about the street light,” she explained.
Plant had contacted the City on two separate occasions informing them of the problem.
“The City did come out after I initially contacted them but they reported back that it was only a tree.
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They couldn’t see the street light was being held up by the branches and vines of the tree.
If the City does not take action soon and it rains again then I’m afraid the street light’s foundation would wash away completely and the street light could fall across the road or on someone causing an even bigger problem,” she said.
