“Illegal parking" outside our homes
AT has in the course of handing out tickets for "illegal parking" outside our homes, recently kindly pointed out that our driveways only start at the front boundary of our property.
Anything "roadside" of that boundary is either council or government property.
Brilliant!
That means that our excessive rates have always covered the mowing costs of all the berms that council have constructed between the footpaths and the roads.
I queried this years ago when council removed the lovely wide footpaths that use to work beautifully as access for both pedestrians and cyclists and was told by a hilarious council manager that the newly unwanted grass berms should be mown by the homeowner - as council were "relying on the goodwill of the ratepayers to mow their berms"!
I laughed out loud and replied - "we are ratepayers and you guys are the council we pay our rates to. There is no goodwill left!"
Thank you AT. Now the ratepayers no longer have to mow the berms we never wanted in the first place. Auckland Transport have finally performed a "public service" just as they cease to exist and move back in under council control - the same council that they just "threw under the bus!".
Roger Hawkins
Herne Bay
