THE bike boulevard battle continues along Mount Hawthorn’s Shakespeare Street, with a local dobbing in pro-bike Christmas decorations on verge trees as rubbish.
A Vincent city council ranger visited the street and has told locals that Christmas decorations do constitute littering under local laws and require removal.
Locals had hung the “all I want for Christmas is a bike boulevard” decorations as a festive promotion of their hopes for a bike-friendly upgrade to slow traffic and increase bike safety. The WA transport department’s mulling over the idea.
Last week we reported someone opposed to the boulevard had been ripping them down, and that Gail Neindorf had spotted the culprit and confronted him.
Mayor John Carey says staff are obliged to abide by rules as written, and he wants to change that law so people can decorate street trees without falling foul of officialdom.
“I like Christmas decorations in trees, I believe in free speech, if people want to put their signs on trees so be it,” he told the Voice. “I’ve spoken to the CEO about changing our local laws because there’s lots of streets that decorate trees. I love that, people having a bit of ownership… it’s clear we’re going to have to change our laws.”
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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