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top 200 commentsshow 500

[–]Lillipout 611 points612 points ago

This post is on Route 251 in Johnville, Quebec. It is a temporary placement while work is being performed to correct dangerous conditions on that section of highway. It it scheduled to be removed by Hydro Quebec "soon". The folks in charge seem to be embarrassed by it. Source (in French)

[–]Pamander 916 points917 points ago

I find it ironic a pole was planted in the middle of the road to prevent dangerous conditions.

[–]sometimesijustdont 247 points248 points ago

It's government work. In Quebec.

[–]pants6000 73 points74 points ago

Well, at least they'll take care of you after it causes an accident.

[–]ZorbaTHut 165 points166 points ago

"Okay, we got rid of the pole, but as a temporary measure we've had to place two more poles and a swimming pool full of rattlesnakes in the road. We'll get rid of them soon."

[–]Zoomerlawns 0 points1 point ago

You'll just have to wait 6 months.

[–]sukit_tribeck 16 points17 points ago

As soon as I saw this I knew it HAD to be Canada. You guys aren't law-suit crazy like us dumb Americans. That thing wouldn't be there 3 days with some Wal-Mart fall artist rammed the thing at 10 MPH and sued the county for millions.

[–]cassidymccormick 17 points18 points ago

That being said, we're talking about Quebec here. Their roads and arias laws are... I can't even. There's a joke in Ottawa that whenever the roads start to get a little crazy someone will say, "When did we get to Quebec?"

[–]2bass 5 points6 points ago

I love driving in Hull and certain parts of Aylmer, because you get to play "guess how many lanes!" I'm pretty sure there are a few places where the roads haven't been paved or repainted in my lifetime.

[–]ArbitraryIndigo 4 points5 points ago

Didn't they have that bridge that fell down that the premiere noted after the fact that it had been a few centimeters lower than usual when he drove over it that morning?

[–]DETRITUS_TROLL 27 points28 points ago

It's government work, period.

[–]Lettuce_Get_Weird 27 points28 points ago

Thanks, Swanson.

[–]LovesMustard 41 points42 points ago

I always find this expression to be curious. When we leave things up to the private sector, without any government intervention, safety often goes out the window.

[–]eehreum 32 points33 points ago

isn't this more about stealing electricity, than private work.

[–]smileydude0 4 points5 points ago

Couldn't have said it better. Someone SERIOUSLY dropped the ball on this one

[–]ffn 10 points11 points ago

Wow, where was this picture taken?

[–]LifeFailure 34 points35 points ago

The personal hell of any electrician, ever.

[–]Averyphotog 12 points13 points ago

That photo can be taken in almost any Third World city.

[–]LovesMustard 14 points15 points ago

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Every man for himself!

*edit: spelling

[–]goobersmooch 0 points1 point ago

If I had to guess... either Brazil or India.

But hell, it's liable to be new york.

[–]ConsistentContrarian 21 points22 points ago

Your picture is not the result of private sector, it is the result of people wiring themselves into the lines to get free electricity. Even without government regulations, a private entity is more likely than not try to protect itself from lawsuits, whereas, government entities often can't be sued. Furthermore, inept employees often can't make a career in the private sector but there are a good number of them who can do so working as a government employee.

[–]LovesMustard 20 points21 points ago

In my experience, there are just as many infuriatingly incompetent employees in the private sector as there are in government jobs. Your mileage may vary.

[–]JimmyHavok 3 points4 points ago

Been there. We had a huge ammonia leak from the freezers at a factory I used to work at in Alaska, the company didn't report it, even though two people were hospitalized. When OSHA "somehow" heard about it, they sent a couple of inspectors around.

The union safety committee had been complaining about a whole list of things, which management said they would get to as soon as it was practical. The OSHA guys dinged them for everything we'd been complaining about, and a bunch of stuff we'd just been taking for granted as well. Could have saved a lot of money if they'd listened...

Of course, this was a place where the lead fork lift driver came to work still drunk from his bender the night before every single day. Free enterprise!

[–]theknightofnee 6 points7 points ago

It's alright, they said that they're sorry.

[–]zmansman17 6 points7 points ago

I've been wanting to post this gif for posterity

[–]syphradic 4 points5 points ago

POSTerity

[–]KARMERFARMA 286 points287 points ago

I, also, find it erotic.

[–]Pamander 140 points141 points ago

But I didn't say erotic I said iron-- DAMN you're sexy..

[–]Reesch 37 points38 points ago

That escalated quickly.

[–]testing_1_2_10 51 points52 points ago

I think something else escalated quickly, too.

[–]nihilessence 59 points60 points ago

I see what you did there, and let me tell you, it wasn't much.

[–]igrokspock 12 points13 points ago

HEYY YOOOOO!

[–]cobra_2109 11 points12 points ago

Well that's original.

[–]Reesch 19 points20 points ago

Just using old jokes for karma.

I'm a slut, I know,

[–]djfilthy 4 points5 points ago

I'd hit that, if I were drunk

[–]sidepart 4 points5 points ago

What?

--hopes for futurama response--

[–]ebola86 4 points5 points ago

EROTIC!!

[–]lLoveLamp 24 points25 points ago

It's actually the road that was built around it. I don't know which one is stupider

[–]Brett_Favre_4 0 points1 point ago

Well it looks like your average Gov't job to me.

[–]hawtdawgspudder 73 points74 points ago

I just clicked your link. Then i remembered i can't read French.

[–]bluecube22 17 points18 points ago

Chrome has an auto-translate feature, and it's actually pretty good.

The post is in the middle of the road

(Sherbrooke) Motorists will certainly pose questions circulating on Route 251, in the Eastern Townships Johnville from an electric pole is in the middle of the floor. This is the section that has been the subject of work, it says the Ministry of Transport of Quebec (MTQ).

[–]thumper242 37 points38 points ago

Some times when I am particularly high I will stumble into a non-English web site and be pretty impressed at how much Italian or French I know.

[–]ForHumans 17 points18 points ago

Sometimes I'll turn on HBO Latin by accident, and think that I understand what they're saying.

[–]doctechnical 19 points20 points ago

Holy crap, I thought Latin was a dead language, and here I find out there's a whole damned cable channel for it! Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum viditur.

[–]US_Hiker 8 points9 points ago

Squidsquid

Is all I read.

[–]ForHumans 74 points75 points ago

I love Hydro Quebec, those guys came down to CT and restored my power.

[–]helios_the_powerful 140 points141 points ago

That's actually the reason why this pole is still there. It was scheduled to be removed before the road was paved, but then Sandy came and H-Qc sent its workers South of the border to help power companies.

[–]Quenadian 22 points23 points ago

this should be the top comment.

[–]ForHumans 22 points23 points ago

It was our 8th day without power or heat. We were devolved... At one point I had caught myself siphoning gasoline from some guys boat.

They showed up on Tuesday morning so my family and I watched the spectacle from the porch. Nothing better to do, and its just as cold outside as in. You could tell they were really hustling by the hop in their step, and when they finished they were sure to alert us by jumping up an down with their hands over their heads, cheering for us.

So thank you for providing the help, Canadian people, and sorry about the pole.

[–]DildoChrist 8 points9 points ago

Il y a quelque chose qui n'a pas marché.

bahahaha, you think?

[–]BedSideCabinet 3 points4 points ago

What kind of work requires a wooden post to be inserted into the middle of a tarmac road like that?

[–]ThomasGullen 10 points11 points ago

It's so they can have a warning sign there

[–]odd84 4 points5 points ago

Other way around -- the post is already there, it's the road that is added. There's some construction work so you need to build a temporary road to detour people around it. You build this road next to the permanent one, where utility poles already exist that follow the road. The contractors hired to build the road cannot move utility poles, only the utility companies are allowed to do that, so they build the road around the poles.

[–]ctzl 8 points9 points ago

they build the road around the poles

No, that's what they should have done. What they have done is build a road THROUGH the pole.

[–]BigB68 8 points9 points ago

Dangerous conditions? Like a pole int he middle of the road?

[–]sir_fancypants 208 points209 points ago

This will definitely cut down on the number of drunk drivers, one way or another.

[–]doctechnical 98 points99 points ago

Heads-up or heads-off. I like the way you think, sir.

[–]GenSmit 13 points14 points ago

When I was in high school I had a plan to reduce obesity by putting tape worms in Twinkies. Sadly that plan will no longer work.

[–]SpudgeBoy 7 points8 points ago

The Twinkies would just kill off the tape worms.

[–]Kitchenfire 2 points3 points ago

Like this post, it will still work in Canada.

[–]Andy1816 29 points30 points ago

I wonder if they notch it every time it gets hit.

[–]sir_fancypants 17 points18 points ago

Based on the spray-paint on the bottom, I think they're at 15.

[–]nimoto 58 points59 points ago

My grandparents are from Newtown Connecticut. http://i.imgur.com/Qc9iU.jpg Yes, that's a flagpole in the middle of the intersection, and a Catholic and Protestant Church across from each other..

[–]Kitchenfire 8 points9 points ago

Whoever decided to put that flagpole there must have thought himself quite the patriot. Every day he's making hundreds of people yield to the flag. Literally.

[–]theruins 2 points3 points ago

I think the Protestant church's architecture is much more American, which makes me (an American) have a more favorable view of it. It just seems to fit into the landscape while the more European church does not. Though the Catholic church is very beautiful, it is just out of place.

[–]MR_WITTY_RESPONSE 101 points102 points ago

"Lets just add a little sign with orange stripes, that should take care of it"

[–]splunge4me2 20 points21 points ago

"Well it is reflective. What more could we do?"

[–]Cheewy 11 points12 points ago

At night: "hey, that post seems to be in the middle of the road.. nah, that cant be possible, it must be an ilusi"

[–]turbie 349 points350 points ago

That's a horrible post

[–]fingers 92 points93 points ago

Repost

[–]kappamale 101 points102 points ago

Let's take a pole:

Is this now considered a pun thread?  
[yes]  [no]  [kill me]

[–]jooze 5 points6 points ago

Kill me

[–]huggableplum 11 points12 points ago

stop pole-uting these good threads. It's like the pole position, and you're wasting it.

[–]mouthbabies 12 points13 points ago

As phault goes, I wood knot know who to blame.

[–]wulululululuu 13 points14 points ago

That's overkill. Please apoleogize.

[–]twist3d7 0 points1 point ago

Don't get your pole in a knot over it.

[–]grandmasdumpings 0 points1 point ago

Pole

[–]NecroGod 75 points76 points ago

Caution: speed bump pole.

[–]pineapplol 21 points22 points ago

[–]DamGoodPie 8 points9 points ago

How exactly is that calming?

[–]teh_tg 5 points6 points ago

Maybe it's to distract their minds from

  • burdensome taxes
  • crappy weather every day
  • bland food
  • nanny state government
  • expensive houses that are still too small

Given all these other factors, I'd like some extra crap in the middle of my road to calm me!

[–]greencoldpeas 19 points20 points ago

"Hey should we put this pole here?"

"I dunno, lets not question it."

Maybe the problem was this road construction took less than 2 years on a mile of roads.

[–]CitizenOfCamelot 250 points251 points ago

Day 4: I have successfully infiltrated the centre of the road. The cars still do not suspect I am a post.

[–]krebsicle 148 points149 points ago

Day 7: First contact...

[–]BeanoFritz 53 points54 points ago

Day 8: First known case of death.

[–]Cipherting 168 points169 points ago

Day 9: Madagascar has closed its ports.

[–]Jungle2266 10 points11 points ago

EVERY BASTARD TIME!!!

[–]maxstolfe 21 points22 points ago

New pole says US spending too much on healthcare.

[–]ginger_spoon 48 points49 points ago

This is a deer strip club.

[–]trencomsm 24 points25 points ago

The title reads better in this guy's voice

[–]doctechnical 36 points37 points ago

That pole must be holding up some terrifically important.

[–]churchs 61 points62 points ago

Some terrifically important what? The suspense is eating away at me.

[–]fleetber 21 points22 points ago

terrifically important suspense.

[–]Posseon1stAve 10 points11 points ago

Important enough that it can't be moved or re-routed, but not important enough to worry about it eventually being hit by a car.

[–]doctechnical 5 points6 points ago

Yeah, that's a puzzler, isn't it?

[–]AmandyWarhol 9 points10 points ago

I drove by this last night! It definitely made me wtf... and so does the fact that it's on reddit the night after I happened to almost hit it on my drive home... wtf-ception.

[–]le_brouhaha 6 points7 points ago

Héhéhéhéhé.

[–]Sinthemoon 5 points6 points ago

Holy cow. A just imagine a french man with a twisted moustache and a beret saying that. Le pire c'est que je suis francophone...

[–]PersernErmertal 7 points8 points ago

Its a gif, yet, nothing is happening?

[–]rabbitvinyl 4 points5 points ago

I'm so proud of my province right now. Tabarnak.

[–]jaxspider 10 points11 points ago

Get out of the road, pole you're not a car! You don't even move!

[–]fingers 33 points34 points ago

Go home pole, you're drunk.

[–]SourCreamWater 10 points11 points ago

How about a couple cones, guys?

[–]darthdelicious 5 points6 points ago

Looks like the kind of crap they do where I live. Always widening roads and then moving the telephone poles. They also love putting lamp standards in the middle of people's driveways.

[–]lLoveLamp 5 points6 points ago

Have something against lamps?

[–]darthdelicious 9 points10 points ago

The rear end of my car if it was in my driveway.

[–]ringolio 14 points15 points ago

And So Can You!

[–]ServerGeek 7 points8 points ago

What could possibly go wrong with that pole placement?

[–]klibzy 6 points7 points ago

The road may become unstable.

[–]sometimesijustdont 2 points3 points ago

This pole gives no fucks. Not even a few safety cones.

[–]rckcowboy8 6 points7 points ago

What the absolute fuck?!

[–]LunarLovers 4 points5 points ago

Where is the shadow of the pole?!

[–]fingers 4 points5 points ago

Fuckers on TrackMania do this all the time....Prepping us for this situation.

[–]DeFex 2 points3 points ago

Now that's a fun game I haven't played for a while, time to get some free coppers!

[–]Stavros175 3 points4 points ago

In Thessaloniki, Greece there is a church that at first was just next to a main road but when the city added lanes to that road the church refused to demolish so 1 side of a 8 lane street suddenly becomes a 2 lane street because of that.

[–]seltzerislife 4 points5 points ago

Picture por favor?

[–]FingerMyFetus 3 points4 points ago

Who ever uploaded that picture as a gif is just the worst kind of person. I sat there staring at the screen for like 30 seconds waiting for it to move.

[–]NickedOut 3 points4 points ago

The title made me expect a Polish joke to be lurking here

[–]RnRaintnoisepolution 4 points5 points ago

doesn't belong in wtf, more /r/mildlyinteresting

[–]PlatonicBoner 9 points10 points ago

What is WTF about this? This is what I encounter on a daily basis. Best regards, Bicyclist.

[–]tastybrews 3 points4 points ago

its funny how WTF can range from a picture of a dick cut in half to a picture of a pole a few feet of of the middle of a road.

[–]bluecube22 19 points20 points ago

Slowest loading gif ever.

[–]imbrizzle 11 points12 points ago

I waited forever...

[–]Had_To_Switch 2 points3 points ago

Does look like a gif doesn't it..

[–]geraldfjord 0 points1 point ago

Polish the pole with Polish polish.

[–]Revenge21 2 points3 points ago

It's just a drunk driver detector

[–]bloxie 0 points1 point ago

Where's its shadow?

[–]TalonX1982 0 points1 point ago

Go home telephone pole, you're drunk.

[–]jayjacks 0 points1 point ago

I bet that pole gets drunk and talks about how many sober driver's it has killed.

[–]syllabic 0 points1 point ago

Oh pole.. how many people have you killed?

[–]r81984 2 points3 points ago

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/auto-news/pole-in-the-middle-of-quebec-road-deemed-unacceptable/article5439607/ (Link in English) Basically they moved the road to avoid a dangerous curve and the power company delayed moving the pole when the government set the deadline for construction. The government decided to move the road anyways as the construction crew was ready to go. Even with the road there, the power company is still stalling. They say it will take another week to move, so in total even with the road as a source of motivation they are still 5 weeks behind schedule.

[–]ajlarosa 0 points1 point ago

go home pole your drunk

[–]tydyno 1 point2 points ago

Go home pole. You're drunk.

[–]Hatchrooster42 3 points4 points ago

Looks like a recipe for disaster.

[–]CoalDigger 2 points3 points ago

It really bugs me the fact that it's a .gif.

[–]Hurricane_DickSmash 0 points1 point ago

I AM A BANANA

[–]IThinkIThinkTooMuch 1 point2 points ago

The problems with Poles get much more severe if you do Nazi them.

[–]rsmjr 0 points1 point ago

Those Polish people aren't too bright.

[–]champs 2 points3 points ago

Speaking as someone who doesn't drive, I'm used to that sort of thing in bikeways, which apparently just double as parking spaces for delivery trucks, taxis, garbage cans, shipping containers, road debris, you name it.

And yet some drivers go into a blind rage when they lose seconds to a bike in front of them.

[–]Dunking_Machine 2 points3 points ago

What is even REMOTELY WTF about this?

What's really WTF about this post is how it has almost 2k upvotes. God, the hivemind is fucking retarded sometimes.

[–]workpuppy 0 points1 point ago

WHAT PART OF "NO PASSING" WASN'T CLEAR MOTHERFUCKER?

[–]ThisIsMyCouchAccount 1 point2 points ago

My home town has an old hand powered water pump in the middle of road. The road is a two-lane highway and at least six people have hit it.

[–]THEFRIEGUY 1 point2 points ago

THIS POLE CUT ME OFF

[–]JamoWRage -1 points0 points ago

This what happens when we stop clearing forests to make roads. Roads get made, and the forest becomes a hazard. Are you happy now, hippies?

[–]Radius86 0 points1 point ago

I'm pretty sure the Germans won't mind you. For much longer...

[–]iamnotanumber10 0 points1 point ago

That's what he said.

[–]_ze 1 point2 points ago

This is unacceptable.

[–]initiallastname -1 points0 points ago

Saw the TC, but came in here to ask... Russia?

[–]Deefunx 1 point2 points ago

As a Brit I saw this and thought; "Obviously you shouldn't park in the middle of the road."

[–]Sleep45 1 point2 points ago

I hope it has a counter for cell phone/texting drivers.

[–]v4xN0s -1 points0 points ago

I think this "post" was in the wrong place.

[–]Leather_cheerio -1 points0 points ago

Go home pole...

[–]kingclarkeson 0 points1 point ago

Impressive turn around! saw this in r/new yesterday with a shittier title. Thumbs up bro/a

[–]kaharz 0 points1 point ago

I've seen this happen in the US when the contractor or developer and the utility company get in a fight over who is responsible for moving the pole. There was one that the pole was there for a year and a half.

[–]Grill3dCheeze 1 point2 points ago

I saw the title and came looking for kielbasa.

[–]Zayadur 0 points1 point ago

That pole had a home once.

[–]ccf92 0 points1 point ago

photoshop

[–]Pavswede 1 point2 points ago

That's a pole, and so can you.

[–]ans141 0 points1 point ago

as an EIT, i would like to meet the jackass who stamped the plans that allowed this to happen.

[–]wow_great_name 0 points1 point ago

Original post, OP.

[–]comfortador 0 points1 point ago

Thia clearly belongs here.

[–]ichyboo 0 points1 point ago

cool

[–]berkaderk 1 point2 points ago

This is every parking spot in my parking garage.

[–]aluki90 0 points1 point ago

a few years ago, me and some friends went to big bear to lull about in the snow. upon leaving, my boyfriend was slightly intoxicated and driving (yes, i know this was a terrible idea. we were all 16 once) and he failed to see a HUGE fucking tree literally in the middle of the road. (we were at a T shaped intersection) i'm talking a 400 y/o sequoia tree, absolutely massive. he ran right into it (we might have been going like 10 mph) and our friends driving behind us were completely shocked, terrified and amazed at how NONE of us in the car noticed the tree was there. there were four people. :/

edit: grammar, details

[–]ummrz 0 points1 point ago

That pole is just asking for it.

[–]foslforever 0 points1 point ago

its a load bearing pole

[–]bobsagetfullhouse 0 points1 point ago

Was something supposed to move? Why was this a gif?

[–]shodgdon -1 points0 points ago

OH MY GOD, WTF?!?! That's enough internet for today.

[–]SolomonGrumpy 0 points1 point ago

More like: MIND ME - I AM A POLE!

[–]yea_i_nutted 0 points1 point ago

Just an 'in-line' driver sobriety test, is all.

[–]Krazy19Karl 0 points1 point ago

Reminds me of a scene in the Buster Keaton movie, Seven Chances (1925)

[–]GreenGunGrabber 1 point2 points ago

[–]MogusMaximus 0 points1 point ago

THIS GUY got a bit close.

[–]Anonymousdave69 1 point2 points ago

This needs to be posted in /r/infrastructureporn

[–]bsrg 0 points1 point ago

This reminds me of a few lines I read a long time ago, something about a singpost warning for stones and stones for supporting the signpost...

[–]jetmonkey 0 points1 point ago

Huh, I was expecting it to be surrounded by smashed headlight lenses and chunks of bumper cover.

[–]majikmixx 0 points1 point ago

[–]TheNick10 0 points1 point ago

I stared at this for too long

[–]luciferase0 0 points1 point ago

Good work. We would have also accepted, "Go home pole, you're drunk."

[–]Flinkelinks 0 points1 point ago

And so can you!

[–]tallpoke 1 point2 points ago

Silly pole, you shouldn't be there!

[–]spockosbrain 0 points1 point ago

I'm tired of your Polish jokes. Just remember, it takes a Pole to hold up the American flag!

[–]syphradic 0 points1 point ago

I find the location of this wooden shaft to be ap-pole-ing.... Yeah

[–]suspiciously_calm 0 points1 point ago

You pass the pole on one side and the oncoming traffic passes it on the other side.

Problem?

[–]Pat1234567890 0 points1 point ago

in the middle of the road...

[–]banhammer1 0 points1 point ago

[–]Hughman100 -1 points0 points ago

At least put traffic cones around it!

[–]judog24 -1 points0 points ago

SimCity

[–]squeamish_ossifrage -1 points0 points ago

Oh he's not a pole, he's a man! Cause he just raped me!

[–]tastefullygraped 1 point2 points ago

We have something similar here! in PA

[–]AnotherSmegHead 1 point2 points ago

I didn't know the French-Canadians were also... POLISH! Rim-shot

[–]Gludius 0 points1 point ago

Does not make for a fun trip home at 2 am after the party