Bizarre photo of Poath Road divided between two Melbourne councils reveals bureaucracy gone mad
A road divided between two municipalities and with new asphalt on only one side has been branded by locals as ‘a bureaucracy gone mad’.
The bizarre photo of Poath Road in Melbourne’s south-east shows one half of the street newly resurfaced, but the other side worn and untouched.
The 2km road cuts through the suburbs of Hughesdale and Murrumbeena, but the middle of the street is the boundary between two separate communities.
Hughesdale sits within the City of Monash Council, while Murrumbeena is overseen by the City of Glen Eira.
The western side of the road for which Monash Council is responsible was repaved two weeks ago.
Melbourne’s Poath Road (pictured), split between two different council areas, has only been resurfaced on one side but not on the other
The eastern side of the road, managed by the City of Glen Eira, has yet to be paved despite needing an upgrade, with potholes appearing in parts of the street.
The owners of businesses on the busy thoroughfare are left in disbelief at the half-done job.
George Xylourgidis, who runs Ciccio’s Pizzeria on Poath Rd, said he could not understand why both sides of the road were not repaved at the same time.
“We pay our rates as businesses and it’s just an easy job that should have been done,” he said A current issue.
Local resident Danny, who lives in the Glen Eira area, said the job had been made unnecessarily complicated.
“It’s crazy bureaucracy,” he said.
“Why wouldn’t they do both sides?”
George Xylourgidis (pictured), who runs Ciccio’s Pizzeria on Poath Rd, said he struggled to understand why both parts of the road were not paved at the same time
Another resident, Wayne, slammed both councils for the botched job, saying it was ‘ridiculous’ that they could not work together to ensure the entire road was improved at the same time.
Rebecca McKenzie, chief executive of Glen Eira Council, told ACA that the council will repaving the eastern side of Poath Rd once other “major construction projects” in the area have been completed.
“This reduces the need for unnecessary rework,” Ms McKenzie said.
“Both councils have worked together to ensure that Monash’s current works complement any future works by Glen Eira.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the councils of Glen Eira and Monash for comment.