Toronto’s Potholes: Yeah, But… No
You had to laugh.
Springtime in Toronto is always… interesting when it comes to our roadways. No city is immune to potholes but every year, Toronto’s potholes are increasingly epidemic. Here’s why you had to laugh: City Councillor Karen Stintz has proposed corporate-sponsored road repair in the city:
“People realize and they know that the potholes are bad and the roads need to be fixed and we do have budget problems,” the Eglinton-Lawrence rep admitted. “So if we can be creative around how we solve it, it’s better for the citizens, it’s better for the streets and it’s better for City Hall.”
But the Mayor is (rightly) skeptical:
“I wouldn’t want the city to be dependant on a boon year in auto sales, therefore your roads get fixed,” [Mayor David] Miller said. “You need to repair the roads properly, it’s something that should be paid for through the property tax system.”
A couple of weeks earlier, CITYnews covered the pothole situation in Toronto with a quote from dreamboat Councillor Glenn Debaeremaeker:
“You can be on a road with no potholes Monday and Wednesday there’s a pothole.”
Indeed. But CITYnews explains away the pothole situation in a manner not unlike the way we often hear summer=hot explained (“the Earth’s position causes warmer temperatures because it’s closest to the Sun during summer”):
Potholes are a reality for an aging city infrastructure that contends annually with wild fluctuations in temperature which force concrete to expand and contract as water enters the cracks and seasons shift.
Which is to say… yeah, but… no. (The Earth’s tilt causes warmer temperatures in summertime, by the way; it’s as far from the sun during the summer as it is in winter).
The large fluctuation in temperatures is problematic for Toronto, and does deteriorate concrete and asphalt through water freezing and thawing and then the cracks and the potholes and the frustration.
And it’s frustration not just for motorists concerned about the assault on their suspensions. Cyclists are rightfully enraged by the increased danger caused by swerving to avoid potholes. And pedestrians in downtown Toronto are well acquainted with rainwater collected in the potholes and projected toward the sidewalks by typically-conscientious downtown motorists.
But I hafta tell you… that Civil Engineering degree doesn’t hang above my toilet for spending four years in art college, and Toronto doesn’t have a really shitty pothole situation because of our freeze-thaw cycling; Toronto has a really shitty pothole situation because the repairs are not made properly. I’ve actually observed several road-repair crews in action in the downtown core.
And this is what I saw:
- Road-repair crews in Toronto use shockingly substandard asphalt. Asphalt is a concrete-like mixture of gravel, sand and viscous, bitumen (think: tar) and its quality and longevity depends very much on the proper proportion of each, combined under heat to make the bitumen flow better. There are cheats, of course, such as using solvents to avoid the heating of the mixture.
If you guessed that cheats are used in Toronto, you’re on the right track, but it’s not just cheating. No, the asphalt used in much of the repairs to Toronto’s roads barely has enough bitumen to hold the gravel together, too. Predictably, it starts to spall within hours of application. - The asphalt is applied by crews without proper equipment or training. On the two most recent occasions I’ve witnessed pothole repairs, the crew consisted of two workers, shoveling shitty “asphalt” from the back of a pick-up truck, stepping on it, then tamping it down with the back of their spades. Use a roller to smooth it over? As. IF.
Making matters worse is that not enough asphalt is used to even fill in the holes completely. Within hours, the edges of the repairs are pressed back down into the potholes. - If the pothole repairs are supervised and/or inspected after the repairwork, someone needs to lose their supervisor and/or inspector jobs. I’ve never seen supervision or inspection.
If Toronto can’t afford road repairs to the extent that we need corporate sponsorship, maybe we should think about doing the repairwork properly the first time around. So, please, CITYnews, stop with the bullshit explaining-away of our crappy road situation with that specious nonsense about freeze-thaw cycles. Because… yeah. BUT NO.
ADDENDUM: Then and Now…
Hey, remember this repairwork, reported here in early 2008?
Well, a month after I posted that photo, the asphalt was repaired. A year later? This:
One Year Later (click to enlarge)
Oy. And vey.
6 comments
I feel you jim, Primus is the worst company. it is very bad that they carry Canada name behind their name “Primus”, I signed up for the VOIP and it was the worst choice I have ever made. then I decided to more to regular phone line and they asked for $50 connection fee. it took them 7 days to transfer the phone. my family lived with no phone or internet for complete 7 days. then they offered me a very good offer on the internet. so they promised me to get the internet and they never did. I lived without internet for about a week again. then I said fuck it and called Rogers and got a phone service and internet from them it took them 1 day to set everything. I rather pay more but not to live in this shit.
Great photos
I agree with Mark. I do not find this movie depressing per say … but simply brilliantly written. I have the whole show memorized too … and I can watch it over and over again. And God bless Leonard Frey … what an actor !
My dear sir:
It has come to my attention by means of my attentiveness that you haven’t said much lately. Ahem ahem. If you let it go to a month, you’ll start to grow the impression that you have to explain, blah blah, and that the post has to be awesome to compensate etc. I therefore must urge you with great urgings to get something up here before November 24th. You can talk about how mustache-growing affects kissing on the part of the kisser (I know about the kissee already). Or the weather. What you had for lunch. I’m just saying, immediate action must be taken to avoid certain disaster. Or something. Please. Pretty please.
K primus is shit..
heres the story..
2008. My modem fucked up randomly, took them 1 month to fix it wdf 1 month? idiots much.
Now 2009,
My modem works all lights are on, BUT INTERNET DOESNT WORK, i call them up im like, why aint my interent working? all lights are on the damn modem. and some indian fucker says TO LOGIN WITH MY PASS AND USER ON 192.168.*.***
I do that still doesnt work, Then he shuts the phone on me,
Well then, im moving to shaw, and im not paying there bills no matter what, They wont let me cancle it since its under my dead wife, So They can suck on it, im not paying for shit. Gg primus, your company sucks, a bunch of kids can overwhlem it.
Soooo…Where the F are you? You can’t tell me that life in Van is so fabulously awesome that there is nothing to complain about! Is that city so perfect, are the roads so pothole free, are the politicians so straight that there is nothing to talk about? Or.. are you sick … that tiresome sinus issue you have? Us loving followers (yes from Toronto) need to know?
@anne & SkippyBoy: Thanks for the votes advocating more posts. They’re coming. Truth is, I’ve been working more hours than usual and diving, headfirst and enthusiastically, into establishing a social network here in Vancouver. Life is good here, very good.
Sometimes, I feel sad that there’s so much negativity on the Internet. Whether or not you like, dislike, or have no particular opinion on someone, I just don’t think it’s very nice to be so mean.
I guess I just wish people were sweeter.
This is terrible. I was on another site http://www.timhortonsfranchise.com and see they don’t treat thier franchisees any better. This is disgusting what a giant corporation can do. Spread the word.
I think it’s JUST adorable! There’s something rather touching about the small pox and polio notes to me. You’re right Brett, it’s become something better than useful, it’s become art.
let me add a voice to those advocating more posts. i miss you too and will keep checking.
hope you guys have great holidays in your new home.
I’m adding my voice to the chorus of people who want, nay, NEED posts from you, Brett. Please post soon! We miss the Canadian snark!
Missing ya, man, but glad it’s for good reasons, not bad. Hope to see you posting again soon!