I fully support Dr Prior with his thoughts on the need to bury power lines (Your View, January 16).
As well as reducing motor vehicle accidents, deaths and injuries by approx 10 per cent each year, the under grounding of power lines, and those ugly ancillary cables keeping them company, will also increase electricity reliability by 4.2 to 1; reduce maintenance costs by approximately 50 per cent; reduce the number of bushfires in NSW by, on average, 322 per annum; greatly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases; reduce traffic congestion due to fallen powerlines; and, of course, cut out the need to butcher our trees.
This latter program costs us, the taxpayers, in the vicinity of $170 million each year.
Sutherland Shire Council needs to approach the state government in an effort to establish a program such as the State Underground Power Program of Western Australia.
This program managed by the WA Government, local councils and WesternPower has seen approximately 70 per cent of Perth’s overhead cabling done away with in the last 15 years.
Come on Sutherland Shire let’s be proactive and get to the root cause of the problem.
Greg Bleazard, Bonnet Bay
