20 April 2024

Who doesn’t like a nice old bluestone lane ? Cyclists and less able people I guess. But they are so very Melbourne, so you’d think the @cityofmelbourne would do their best to not muck them up, but their infrastructure division worries about maintenance costs, accessibility, and doesn’t have a very clear policy. Here in Merritts Place off Lonsdale Street, they’ve pulled up the stones, shaved them flat, put them down again, which is a neat solution if the lane is heavily pedestrian, and this one might be, running through the block and to a small park, but …. it didn’t have to be the whole width, and the nice pattern of the central gutter with a kink at one end is completely gone. There’s a barely discernible channel on the west side, with a grate. I’ve just discovered their guidelines adopted last year that say this is preferred, or even better just make it asphalt, if the lane isn’t in a heritage precinct, but the few remaining original paved lanes in the cbd are often outside precincts. They should be individually listed I reckon. Recent photos vs old streetview.

A lot of responses on my Instagram post :

• rinaldit2 Uff!
• deddle8ug A very different place now.
• alexanderfortunatov Nanny state stuff, similar to what they did to the interior marble steps in the State Library 😢
• multiplicitymuckabout angry…
• squidjum So nowhere for the water to run now except all over it, and not neatly down the channel like it did before 🤦🏼‍♀️ I really wonder about the wisdom of Council decisions. They spend money on small issues and ignore the ones that really matter.
• epigrapheinhistory Oh no … I hadn’t gone there recently. Very disappointing 😦
• hamishkenz Hard disagree here. Those cobblestones are a massive impediment for all sorts of people. The idea shaving down half the lane feels a bit silly. Shaving and restoring bluestones feels like a perfect way to maintain heritage but update it for modern accessibility.
• yarracityheritage This is totally the most stupid thing ever , I was originally told that so many bluestone pitchers sold off , over time it was prohibitively expensive to cut more so they cut them in half , at least in city of Yarra . Then it was some story about accessibility and the danger to pedestrians and motorised disability vehicles. Well one bit of moisture on them , eg ( rain ) and they are as slippery as and if you where Italian shoes 👞 your dead and disabled , and no to all the hideous comments I’m not having rubber glued to the Gucci red
• yoursistergeorge We have original round cobbles in our lane in daylesford, spoon drain one side. Has been gravelled over but we excavated one side. Would like it protected so future humans don’t tar it.
• marilyn_ella I’m probably in the mobility category now where I prefer fewer obstacles but then … bureaucracy appears to have gone mad. Actually, litigation has likely caught up 😕
• onabee Years ago the council wanted to relay the bluestones in my back lane (in Kensington). I don’t know if they needed to do work under then or not. Anyway I contacted them and said that I thought they should have to put the stones back where they were – because you could see the old horse and cart wheels tracks groves after years of use. And that was an important part of history. They did end up doing. But only outside my back gate! #smallwins
• monomelbourne And what’s with the chrome street furniture/fittings everywhere! Why not retain the green-coloured, vintage bollards.
• hennnnnno Spend a day in a wheelchair. Your opinion might change.
• lozzcat Omg they were designed like this for drainage. Which worked brilliantly..
• joanltaylor Seriously it had so much more character before they changed it 😮
• motherofginge02I’m convinced that they are determined to remove everything beautiful and interesting from the past
• sarah_monas Walking on cobblestones in heels is diabolical. More than happy to support this as it makes it safer for many people.
• lslng 😔
• peter.malatt I’m with you Rohan, it a dumb solution and the falls and drainage channels are part of the heritage value. All great civilisations are fundamentally based on good drainage
• missesews This is ridiculous
• laveryeva 😢
• rickeckersleyart I agree! More bogan decision makers😩
• equusmoon 😮☹️
• patjan7 Clearly it’s all about covering their butts.
• politicallyincorrect1955 Chunder.
  First world problem.
  Where are the tactile strips?
• mrvonbraun I’m all for making things accessible for people living with disability… but this just feels disappointing
• west_horton Terrible .

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