Jacqui

Is this peculiar to Mandurah, or WA, or is it the same elsewhere in Oz? On all the streets there is only one pavement, on one side only, and in smaller streets (like our little cul-de-sac) there are none! You either have to cross the road to be able to walk on pavement (not ideal for kids if the place they want to be is actually on the same side as where they're starting from) or walk across people's front lawns, which seems rude, or walk in the road. The streets are all so wide here, plenty of room for pavements both sides, it's very odd and a bit of a nuisance really. Some people plant shrubs at their borderline, preventing you from walking on their property, so you are forced into the road. Anyone pushing a pram will also be forced onto the road. Many front lawns are reduced to a sandy mess, due to people walking over them. And if your sprinkler head fails to plop back down again, there's a good chance someone will walk over it and break it.

Incidentally, we notice too that if you have visitors and the driveway is full, they think nothing of driving up onto your front lawn. If the neighbours have a party, our front lawn turns into a car park. How inconsiderate is that? Maybe I should suggest hubby puts up one of those neat little picket fences! That would stop the dogs crapping on my lawn too!

buglegirl

bloody pavement thing annoys me too over in Brissy
BG

renth

That's not normal. I'd have a word with them about that. Or if anyone leaves their windows open, put the reticulation on.

Ceri

It's the same in most suburbs of Brisbane - Don't you know pavements cost money?? We don't pay our rates for it to be spent on frivolous, meaningless things such as pavements.

seriously though, most places are like this (except in the cities, where money seems no option). Don't know about Wa, but here with us, most properties your house land goes up to one metre away from the kerb.. so one metre of "your" supposed lawn actually belongs to the council for access... wonder when they are going to mow their one metre of lawn??? that will be the day.. I should send them a bill for mowing services. To plant shrubs on the grass near the kerb you actually need council permission, although most people don't bother, and ignore this law.

I often wonder if you're forced to walk on the road and you get hit by a car could you sue the council for diminished responsibilities? - ie not providing pavements. And what about people in Wheel chairs? wonder how they cope.
We have no pavements around us, you're lucky to have one .. now don't brag.

people parking on your lawn? Tell 'em to b*gger off, and why haven't you been invited to the party

cheers

DianeOZ

Our culdesac has no pavements either. I'm never sure where to tell the kids to walk, road, grass, kerbie bit. As for the parking, they should at least ask permission to go on your lawn.
That's not on.

topcat

There's a similar lack of street lights. They are usually on one side only and the more residential the street the further apart the lights. Now if you have a car you don't care, but if you are a pedestrian trying to find your way around at night you need a torch! Not just to check what you're about to tread on/fall over, but also to look at the map so you don't get completely lost.

Seriously fewer street lights means much less light pollution, which is good, but I find it a tad freaky particularly when a pair of possums decide to scare the life out of me...

Ceri

same here, I'm on the side which hasn't got any street lights.. it's not the possums I'm scared of, I got watch when I move my wheelie bin (which is parked up against my house) .. it's the snakes , I keep expecting one to be curled up behind the bin one night ( I'm backing onto a reserve/bush land).

DianeOZ

When we first came out for a holiday in 1995, I have a memory of the street lights being shut off at about 11pm:scared: :scared: .

Would that have been so? (faded memory cells)

NJFOZ

We have pavements and grass verges you could build a small town on., then a parking strip, then two traffic lanes a huge central reserve and the same on the other side.

Crossing roads in Melbourne takes about a week's hike!!!!! They are huge.

Ev'n'John

We have a similar arrangement in our cul-de-sac. One of our neighbours showed us the little boundary marker that many houses have to show the property boundary. The outer 1.0-1.5m is actually council property - so is the bit you should walk on!

Technically - people could park on this strip of grass, I suppose. But just parking on your front lawn without asking is downright rude!

It also means that if you decide to put up your little picket fence (as some of our neighbours have done), you can only build to the property boundary - not to the kerbside.

topcat

LOL

My bin doesn't get put out if it's dark. Not 'cos of snakes but spiders: when it's very sunny the redbacks come out from under the rim of the wheelie bin and sun themselves

hevs

Least it stops the dogs pooing on them

hevs

On the deeds of our house the first meter is classed as "nature strip" This means that it is a public right of way and you cannot fence over that meter mark. So in effect i guess that is the pavement, even though its grass

Megalania

Pavement : A hard smooth surface, especially of a public area or thoroughfare, that will bear travel.

Footpath : A narrow path for persons on foot.

hevs

LOL at megs. Are you actually a robot type machine??