Eyesores beside tram line 18 Annoyance over messy plots in Dransdorf
DRANSDORF · Dransdorf residents are annoyed about the state of some sites along the tram line for quite some time now. The city council in Bonn and the Stadtwerke were informed. Now they want to improve the area.
If you are out walking the Vorgebirgsbahnweg behind Dransdorf, or taking the tram 18 towards Alfter, you have no choice but to pass these messy plots. And you’d get annoyed about the rubbish lying around there. Complaints by Dransdorf residents have not led anywhere yet, despite the authorities being informed about the situation for quite some time.
You have to look at neglected garden plots, illegally littered with old refrigerators and other electronic devices, and overgrown areas. One site seems to be used as an unofficial scrapyard, said some residents. On another plot, a car is parked in a garage. Several gardens are so barricaded that one can’t look in, but instead unambiguous signs warn of a guard dog. Walkers have been barked at regularly and are scared of the animals. „The dogs seem to be living on the site freely and come across quite dangerous,” said one Dransdorf man in a conversation with this newspaper. Tenants were not met on-site by the GA.
The man, who does not want to be named, adds: „Many people have complained to the city council and the Stadtwerke about this littering. But nothing happened.“ Now he is hoping that reporting of the incidents might help to make Dransdorf cleaner and more liveable again.
Security staff reacted
The Stadtwerke, who own the plots, are aware of the circumstances, said their spokesperson Veronika John, and promised: „We will have a look into this.“ It will also be examined if an illegal business was run on the sites.
The city council reported that the security staff had indeed checked out several cases, after complaints about littering and rubbish had been made. „We did insist that those plots were cleansed up,” declared a spokesperson of the city’s press office.
Also, a call-out in connection with a fire on one of the plots had been documented. If there are illegal constructions in the gardens they have to be investigated by the building authority.
The city council announced that a street patrol will have a closer look in the coming weeks. „If it turns out as gravely as described, the tenants will be informed by letter.“ According to the law, they have certain time frames to clear any grievances, it was said.
That the bike route towards Alfter is constantly overgrown, as the Dransdorf man complained, was not known in the city council. But that will also be checked out, said the spokesperson.
(Original text: Rolf Kleinfeld; Translation: Mareike Graepel)
