Urban Vancouver

Those "cables" look to me like flexible pipes
for air inlet and exhaust into and out of an
underground "manhole", in which might be found
a small room containing either telephone cables
and terminal boards, or perhaps high-voltage
cables and switches on the underground network
running around the downtown core. The cables
themselves used underground are what's called
"submarine cables" and those are heavily
armoured with a tight wrap of galvanized steel
wire, one wire right beside the next, wrapping
the cable with its outer protection. The ones
for communications usually have a thick black
plastic covering that is made of tough stuff
and is usually smooth on the outside. So these
in the picture are probably ventilation pipes,
because certain toxic gases are heavier than air,
and if present, will sink into those underground
manholes and switching rooms, and make it very
hazardous to be in there without an air supply.