"Bars on the door, bars on the heart?" – the
lyrics from a Tim McGraw song echo in my brain while observing the street from
bus windows I’ve noticed along Anzac Parade that houses fronting the street
have bars on windows and doors. Seeing the odd house or shop front look like
this is fine, but it appears more common than not! Even yards have little stone
walls along the perimeter of their yard with a gate for the sidewalk and a gate
for the driveway. The gates and stone wall fences often have decorative metal
work on them, as do the barred windows and doors. While running around
Kensington off Anzac Parade, yards still had fences and gates and beautifully
stained glass windows were obscured by bars!
It is a decorative touch, but the principle
remains – gates, fences, and barred windows/doors are not welcoming. They don’t
make the neighbourhood feel very safe. Although I feel safe enough walking
around during the day, I wouldn’t wonder about in the evening. When I asked a
local living in Redfern, she explained that inner Sydney experienced a huge
increase in “opportunity robberies” where people’s homes were broken into in
broad daylight and emptied of their expensive goods such as TVs, laptops, etc.
The lady I spoke with explained her flat was robbed three times in six months…
Wow! As a result everyone put bars on their windows and doors to prevent these
petty crimes.
House in Kensington, NSW. Note bars on windows and door, small brick "wall" fence, with gate across drive way. Though a decorative touch and definitely has curb appeal, but look closely and it isn't a very welcoming sight.
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