We have a lot of tall grass on what was once a beautiful boulevard where we live. The grass is very long. The road is under the control of VicRoads, our road authority but it did contract out the median strip maintenance to the City of Melbourne on its side of the street and City of Port Phillip on our side of the street. Something has happened and there seems to be a stand off between VicRoads and CoPP. That's all very well but the grass was last mowed roughly slashed by VicRoads in March.
I have contacted VicRoads, our three ward councillors, a former and retiring state politician and our current local state politician. Only the retiring politician properly responded with some information about the situation. Absolutely nothing from our local councillors. I am a bit cross with them. I am a person of the written word, not the spoken, nevertheless I may well call their offices on the dreaded telephone machine.
Photos tell the story. Would local councillors Marcus Pearl, Heather Consolo and Peter Martin tell me what is going on?
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What a disgrace. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands are being spent on the installation if separated bike lines, of which I do approve.
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The state of the grasslands and the ever increasing potholes are a feature of my city at the moment. Grasses are mowed/slashed only when they get well over knee high. And in our very wet weather the mowers often get bogged and/or rip the land up. Big sigh.
ReplyDeleteEC, it is rather awful that our daily views have come to this. If mowers didn't have to mow such long wet grass, they wouldn't get bogged.
Delete(To be read in a broad Victorian accent)
ReplyDeleteG'Day Mate!
Okay cobber. I will indeedy tell ya what's goin' on mate. We decoided a couple of years back to cut urban verges less often to allow insects to flourish - including bees. That's all there is to it mate an' if you dunt like it you can bugger off to NSW.
Yours etc.,
Marcus Pearl
Love the "decoided" but no one says indeedy.
DeleteYP, Victorians are not known for their broad accents, but I suppose we do have some. I just learnt today the Mayor Pearl is no longer and we have returned to the status quo of female mayor. Mr Pearl was very pro business and I don't think he cares much about insects. With also heavy rains in NSW, I don't the grass will be any better tended to than here. Decoided is pure Kath and Kim.
DeleteHe's gone? May Marcus Pearl rest in peace. He was a pearl amongst swine not known for their broad accents.
DeleteThe Stalker. Andrew don’t get me started, we live in supposedly posh area of Adelaide , though we are on the less posh side . The contrast between both sides is like French champagne and Spumante They get the mower and the trimmer we get the slasher. They get new trees on request we are told to wait till the following season. I have written many times to the council and the councillors to no avail. Phone calls to the posh Council are cut off at reception and you have to leave a message. The most amusing thing that has happened in the last month has been the tagging of our bins to check that we are using the bins appropriately and we get a naughty sticker if we have sinned .
ReplyDeleteBaby dog poo stinks 🤣
I am wondering now if it is happening in the champagne swilling posh area…
Anyway our garden and nature strips are level courtesy of us, electronic transfers and one of the franchises. We love Jim ..
Great weather and Aggie and The Wolf love each other so we are happy. Good wishes
Don't give up lobbying about what is not right Stalker and don't put your yourself in a weak position by having your bin stickered. I don't love Jim because of his extreme religious views. Sister told off Tradie Brother for putting cigarette buts in her bin as they smelt. Never mind the smell of her baby daughter's nappies in the bin. All good pet wise in your household then.
DeleteIf they’re anything like ours the man on the mower or man with wippersnipper will sink the moment they set foot on the grass verge. ‘Elf and safety issue!
ReplyDeleteCathy, lol at 'Elf and safety.
DeleteMost of these are weeds instead of real grass. Councilors specialise in making backyard deals with property developers instead of anything else.
ReplyDeleteSadly Roentare, I think you are correct on both counts.
DeleteTell them you saw a snake.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh.....hilarious!!!!!
DeleteCaro, brilliant. The worst, a brown snake.
DeleteWell, looks pretty good compared to any strip maintainence around here, but I can see it needs upkeep. Portland keeps spending a ton on bike infrastructure when only a tiny fraction of people ride bikes back and forth to work. For gosh sakes it pours most of the year in Portland and there are so many steep hills. When I go to Portland with cats I get a kick out of counting the bikes I see on a stretch of street with many expensive bike lanes and green boxes, whatever they are, all kinds of things. The most I've seen in a day is three bikes on the five mile stretch I trek to where I kill the day while the cats are being fixed. All that money, for a handful of people.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, bike lanes are so contentious. Our street has the highest number of bike doorings in Australia, where car drivers open doors in front of cyclists after parking. At the moment our street is being remodelled to have concrete barrier bike and car separation. I am pro bike riders and safer ways for them to ride, rather than them being in a car and making traffic congestion worse. Portland is what it is, a progressive city ahead of its time and very well liked, it seems.
DeleteThe grass is probably cut on a schedule which normally works, but with all the rain we've been having it is growing faster and lusher than usual, but the schedule hasn't been changed because no one has noticed. You have to admit green and lush is nicer than brown and shrivelled. If it bothers you too much, don't look at it. Or get on to the council and give them an earbashing.
ReplyDeleteRiver, a spurt of grass growth in spring is something new? I repeat, the grass has not been mowed since March. Fallen tree branches are not picked up, never mind rubbish. It is a disgrace and I have done plenty of ear bashing and I am now tired. You do have a point though, lush and green is good to see at this time of the year.
DeleteOh dear and it's only going to grow more if it's not cut soon. Makes the street look untidy, doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteVery untidy indeed Margaret for what is supposed to be Melbourne's premier boulevard.
DeleteNormally everything is brownish. Like River said, at least it is pleasurable to see all that lush green.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a connection between our greenness and our northern brethren having to suffer shocking flooding.
Hels, we have enough of our own rain to make grass grow, never mind the northern flooding.
DeleteIt sounds to me like they need to better work out responsibility for the medians. Why should mowing along a single road be the responsibility of two different governments? That's kind of silly.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I understand a bit of a battle is going, while we suffer.
DeleteA return to the natural state
ReplyDeleteNot wanted at all TP.
DeleteWe seem to have the same look in our neighbourhood, specially around the corner houses where the owners don't seem to mow what is invisible to them from their front garden! So weeds just grow, fly away and "infect" everyone else's gardens!! Luckily I live across a park that is always mowed, and my front garden and verge are grass free, as we decided many years ago we didn't want to waste water and time mowing and pulling weeds out of the front garden that we don't use, so I planted lots of succulents, and other low maintenance plants and put mulch all over. We have recently received an email from the council saying they don't have enough staff to do verge mowing, so they have to mow them less often, lol.
ReplyDeleteSami, at least council let you know of the situation. Just one unmaintained house and garden can really spoil a street.
DeleteSome sort of rewilding project? Or possibly its woke?
ReplyDeleteIan, you really are raising them to an undeserved level.
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