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utility pole rules

I am sort of a lurker here, but this is an issue I need to speak on.
I spent 25 years climbing utility poles as an installer/repair person for our local Telephone Company.
As a gardener, I agree that they are truly homely. As a former (now retired) line'man', I have to say, that for safety sake of power and telco employees, attaching anything to a pole is a hazard.
I have had to trim climbing roses, wisteria and huge laurel hedges from around poles before I could climb the poles to install or repair a telephone line. I have rec'd nasty sticks and cuts from things attached and if there are cross brackets attached (for example, one pole had pole beans attached to a 2x4 nailed to the pole about 8' up with strings going down to the bean plants) I hate to pull out someones beans or roses or wisteria and I have had more than my fair share of gardeners being very angry with me, BUT, attaching anything to a utility pole is prohibited by laws..
The poles are in a right-of-way, and even though the landowner whose house is behind the right of way is requited to maintain that right of way property, they can't inhibit access to the utility poles (or the on ground terminals either).
Speaking of on ground terminals, I have spent hours looking for one only to discover it was hidden under a fake rock...once I saw the fake rock, I wasn't fooled by this again, but it was time consuming and frustrating for me and for the person who was waiting for their phone service to be installed.
Please, consider the poor worker when planning your garden-not every telco person is as considerate as I was and walked around the plants..the big foot guys usually just tramped thru gardens enroute to poles and crush plants in their way...
Leave an access route to the pole and both you and the next installer who comes by will both be happier.
Take care
Elle Hayes-Cook
Beaverton Ot

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