Mike - those lines may not necessarily be insulated, I can't quite tell from the pic. What you find here are a lot of the lines from pole to pole i.e. distribution lines are not insulated. The wires from the poles to the premises i.e. drop wires are insulated, but again usually only the live, not the neutral. Where they then meet the property they are changed to both insulated. My own house being a good example - txfmr to pole by house, both lines BARE, pole by house to house, live INSULATED, neutral BARE, then two insulated cables to meter. I'll try and take some pics to let you see. However, all the above has changed somewhat with the advent of ABC (aerial bundled conductor) cable and concentric drop wire.
Dave
