Those of us who are old enough to remember the 1970s and 1980s in this city will remember that each householder used to take responsibility for keeping the pavement in front of their property clear of snow and ice in winter, and of weeds in summer, writes Fred Street of the New Town Clean Streets Campaign.
There were subtle social pressures at work which also encouraged us to pick up any dog mess and litter, as this was felt to reflect as unfavourably on the householder as as on the litterer.
Of course there were transgressors – the house with the unpainted windows, the rusting car in the front garden, the jungle of unkempt vegetation obscuring the view from the street – but these transgressors existed principally to provide a focus, to unite the rest of the neighbours by clarifying the alternative to cleanliness in all things.
Which brings me on to the state of our collective Spurtleshire pavements and gutters.
Many residents are unsure whether the strip at the border of their property, along the railings if they have any, is their responsibility or the City of Edinburgh Council’ s to keep clean. CEC, while undoubtedly well intentioned, seems to add to the doubts by waiting for months and even years, until half of us have taken matters into our own hands and the other half are beginning to swither, and then they come along and do something!
At the beginning of June our Council sprayed a large number of streets in the northern New Town and western Spurtleshire with weed killer. According to them, all gutters in Edinburgh should be sprayed twice per year. Pictured here are the results of their latest campaign.
This, as far as the Council is concerned, is the problem ticked off and dealt with for another year.
It would definitely be churlish to suggest that the solution looks worse than the original problem, but I think that it is clear that we all need to roll up our sleeves, get our gardening gloves on, dig out the patio tool, and clear as big an area round our own homes as we can bear to … whether it belongs to us or not.
Got a view? Tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk and @theSpurtle and Facebook
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Harald Tobermann by email: Of course the root cause is poor construction and maintenance of pavements, roads and "apparatus": flora needs cracks and gaps to thrive.
Jennifer Mitchell I rather like it.
@theSpurtle @NewTownFlaneur @NTCleanStreets I'd be happier if someone grasped the nettle of discarded litter and , er, fag ends
NewTownCleanStreets @NTCleanStreets
This was rather my point actually - complaining to CEC is only going to get us so far; need to keep own patch clear @KenWilson84 @theSpurtle
@theSpurtle @NTCleanStreets Check the state of Picardy Roundabout. What a mess.
@Motivationprobs @theSpurtle Indeed! & I don't fancy trying to weed that one myself, as the cars whizz past!