The winter takes a heavy toll on Burnaby roads.
This past week saw heavy winter snow and icy, meaning roads were being scraped hard by road-clearing crews.
That means potholes. I’ve seen a lot of them on my commute home and, yes, it’s annoying when you miss one and my vehicle goes bump. I weep for my vehicle’s suspension.
But getting angry at the City of Burnaby or Mainroad, which manages the Lower Mainland service area, including Highway 1 because they haven’t been fixed right away feels unfair.
Mainroad issues a statement preaching patience from drivers.
“We understand driver frustration when potholes form … with highways as busy as they are in the Lower Mainland, potholes can form very quickly,” Mainroad said. “Pothole repair and maintenance is a 24/7 effort - Mainroad crews aim to complete the bulk of this work during off-peak traffic periods, however depending on where the pothole is located, it may need to be filled during busy traffic hours.”
For example, a pothole that’s in the travel path of a main highway gets priority over those on the shoulder or on a low volume road. The size of the hole also plays a factor, with larger ones having priority over smaller ones.
“The best time to fill potholes is when the weather is warm and dry. But when a pothole poses a safety issue, we can’t wait for ideal weather or off-peak traffic periods. Cold and wet conditions combined with high traffic volumes can often result in a pothole needing a repair again shortly after it was filled and sometimes that could be as often as 3-4 times daily.”
So perhaps be a little more patient.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
