>>1949274Because it costs money to actually build and maintain this infrastructure, even if you have land.
The utilities are often cool with this stuff, as long as the city is taking the lead. But it wasn't built with the intention to be used that way and thus needs investment to actually make usable.
Like here, we have a ton of corridors filled with high tension power lines and grass. But the towers were arranged under the assumption no one would be using that right of way. They all have 15m "exclusion zones" around them that people aren't meant to occupy due to the risk of a cable or loose metal falling off. The "access road" is okay because the utility crews would be protected by their truck.
The city does open multi-use paths through these, but it's a big project that involves surveying, mapping out all the exclusion zones, relocating a few towers ($$$), and then building not just a path but surrounding trees and vegetation that pens people into the path rather wandering off into the 'unsafe' areas. They do a new one every few years, sometimes waiting on an opportunity like the utility needing to refurbish the towers.
Like for OP's picrel, I do see they have paved areas to the left and to the right of that storm drain. But that interior fence is looking super rusted out. It's at best a deterrent from some idiot trying to climb in. But would it stop a cyclist going 30 km/h that tucked for aero and slammed straight into it? The utility doesn't want to find out. If the city wanted to pay for guard rails though, I'm sure they'd consider it.
