Posted on 05/20/2024 9:05:25 AM PDT by Morgana
The city of Oakland recently removed traffic lights from one busy intersection and replaced them with stop signs after the electrical boxes that controlled the traffic lights were repeatedly tampered with and copper from them was stolen.
Local residents and those who own businesses in the area say the issue with the traffic lights stems from the nearby homeless encampment, which has grown over the years.
The owner of a vehicle repair shop on the corner of the intersection, Tam Le, said the city is signaling that it is 'giving up on us,' by installing the stop signs.
It is the latest in a string of copper thefts in California. Earlier this month, videos emerged of thieves ransacking Tesla charging stations for the metal.
For months, the traffic lights malfunctioned. They either blinked red or went out completely, causing confusing and hazardous driving conditions in the area.
'The city did try to fix the traffic light at least a few times. But once they fixed it, normally within a week or so, it will go out again,' said Le, according to CBS News.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Insulated handle on the cutters. Not perfect but good enough for thieves.
That’s a fair amount of work for not a lot of copper.
Good question.
Babylon......er, nope....................
You should see how they will demolish an air conditioner unit for just a small about of copper.
5.5 lbs, or something like that.
It’s probably not the only thing they involve themselves in.
Oakland is becoming like South Africa.
“Why are South Africans Stealing Traffic Lights?”
by SerpentZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liqvp6FWfXI&ab_channel=serpentza
5.5 lbs, or something like that.
It’s probably not the only thing they involve themselves in.
They are diversified.
“How do these homeless people steal the copper wires on a live traffic light and not get electrocuted?”
I read that the lights are 120v. Won’t hurt unless you are grounded.
Decriminalizing crime has consequences.
The little town near me in Washington County,PA. is also getting rid of some street lights to be replaced with stop signs. It is an old Steel mill town that has seen its glory days. Penndot is doing the survey and replacing.
The term for “homeless” used to be “vagrant”. Vagrancy used to be a crime.
What is the current price to recycle copper is???
Exactly.
The dealers who buy this “scrap” copper are not without blame, either. People don’t just find lots of copper from traffic lights and air conditioners lying around in the streets, at least nowhere that I’ve ever seen.
“What is the current price to recycle copper is???”
This was first to come up under the search.
Not sure which applies to this story but you get the idea.
https://rockawayrecycling.com/metal/1-bare-bright-wire/
#1 Bare Bright Wire $4.20/lb
#1 Copper Tubing/Flashing $3.85/lb
#2 Copper Tubing/ Bus Bar $3.65/lb
Insulated Copper Wire $1.33/lb
If the traffic lights in Oakland are anything like the ones in San Diego and LA Counties, they might as well all be Stop Signs anyway because you GET STOPPED AT EVERY SINGLE LIGHT ANYWAY.
None of the lights are timed to let traffic flow. You sit at a light, then it turns green and you see the next one go yellow, then red. Every. Single. Light.
If it is the middle of the night and there’s no traffic, you won’t get a green until another cross traffic car comes that can be stopped to let you go.
They also have a habit of putting in traffic lights as close as 150 feet of each other. END RANT.
Same story with Catalytic Converters. Which are worth a lot more than a few pounds of copper.
These Leftist city planners are supposed to be the smartest people in any room, but the concept of having laws against vandalism and theft (and enforcing them) evades them.
Instead, the answer is to remove the thing being vandalized and stolen and make law-abiding citizens suffer.
Astonishing.
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