FOR the past few days we have seen on national television and heard on radio the ever-petty Joondalup Council exercise its opulent might and again target ratepayers with the most ridiculous, petty and unfounded excuses to have paved verges ripped up and removed.
The Joondalup Council argues that paved verges pose a risk to the environment and causes excessive drainage which could lead to flooding.
Really? Don’t our roads also have runoff during a storm?
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READ NOWIt was also reported that paved verges pose an exceptionally high risk to the environment as fertiliser runoff during a storm could contaminate our waterways and adversely affect the environment.
Really? Do we actually fertilise our paved verges? And does paving require regular fertiliser treatment?
Methinks not and most likely the so-called complaints the council supposedly received about paved vergers was from some jealous neighbour, a local MP exerting his position or by some bored politician.
If the Joondalup Council is so paranoid about the aesthetics of our verges, it should assume full control and liability and maintain our verges at its cost, leave verge pavers in peace and refrain from its interfering and controlling tactics.
Surely it has other priorities that could be better served?
JOHN CUSSONS,
Hillarys.