Perth Voice Interactive

MT HAWTHORN residents who woke one day to find a 30-metre freeway billboard flashing congestion information into their backyards and homes have appealed to Vincent council for help.

At Tuesday’s council meeting resident Alison James outlined the neighbourhood’s woes with the blinking Main Roads sign, which she said arrived with no consultation on the pedestrian bridge that crosses to Galup/Lake Monger.

“It’s affecting about 14 homes directly, including our next door neighbours who have a billboard-sized LED sign towering above their house,” Ms James said.

“It’s taken our view of a beautiful pedestrian bridge and now we look at commute times to the CBD.”

Ms James said the sign was also affecting pedestrians, as it blocked their views almost halfway across the bridge, while making their journey “claustrophobic”.

“I do believe this is a really important bridge because it links Britannia Reserve and that open space with Galup/Lake Monger.”

Ms James said she’d met with Main Roads which had advised her the community would need the “strong support” of Vincent council and Perth MP John Carey before it would look at relocating the signs.

Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said her council had also been blindsided by the arrival of the signs and did not support the location.

“Certainly myself and the administration are very supportive of efforts to get them relocated,” Ms Xamon said.

“I think it’s fair to say Main Roads dropped the ball, but I am getting a little tired of this to be honest.

“Consultation should be the first thing to look at and it would have been nice for someone to have come and spoken to the council and said, ‘look, can we get your advice about where these could possibly go’.

“If I was living in one of those houses and I had that massive neon sign permanently flashing into my backyard… frankly, the residents affected by this are showing a lot more tolerance than I would, which would be very little – in fact none.”

Ms James has started a petition to have the signs removed at Change.org, which is heading towards 500 signatures, many from people living nearby.

Shelley Blechynden frequently walks through the area.

“The sign is very confronting and completely spoils what used to be a lovely walk over the bridge,” Ms Blechynden wrote while signing the petition.

To find the petition head to change.org and search for “giant led sign lake monger”.

by STEVE GRANT