Not lighting? Rip ’em out
Irate Nedlands residents claim the removal of lights from a tiny laneway is indicative of the problems they are having with their council.
They say poor communication, lack of infrastructure maintenance and assets falling into neglect were just some of the issues.
Paula Boxall queried Nedlands’ decision to remove the lights in Fraseriana Lane after she complained for nearly six months that they were not working.
The lane runs from behind restaurants on Stirling Highway north to Hardy Road.
Ms Boxall said the lights had been invaluable for pedestrians and residents for at least 10 years. They went out late last year and have not been repaired.
She said she had not received any response to her many requests to get the lights fixed, except to be informed that her requests had been logged.
But workers turned up at Fraseriana Lane within two weeks of Ms Boxall lodging a complaint on the council website, only to rip out the bollards and fill the holes with concrete.
“If they do that with every piece of infrastructure, we will end up with nothing,” she said.
Nearby neighbours said they believed the destructive response to their maintenance requests was “indicative of some sort of systemic issues” with council administration.
“This action has been unexpected and has left me appalled that the council has failed miserably, choosing to wastefully discard a much-needed community asset,” Ms Boxall said.
The lane is sealed in parts but remains a dirt path for much of its four-block length.
A development application for a 17-storey building nearby discussed “activating” nearby laneways as “integral thoroughfares”.
“It is imperative that the council reinstates safe lighting conditions along Fraseriana Lane for the well-being and security of all who rely on it for access,” Ms Boxall said.
A Nedlands spokeswoman said that contractors noted during the development of 21 Hibbertia Lane that underground cabling and lights were at the end of their lives and were no longer compliant with Australian Standards.
The City removed the bollards to protect lane users from incidental crashes, she said.