A couple of tonnes of fixing required
If a pothole can damage a vehicle, imagine what it would do to a cyclist who couldn’t avoid it because of traffic just inches away.
We don’t normally write about potholes at this time of year; they aren’t nearly as big a problem as in late winter, when the city deploys dozens of patching crews to fill them. But some potholes defy the odds and grow to immense breadth in warm weather, aided by the pounding of dump trucks and heavy vehicles pulling in and out of a construction site.
A reader reported on SeeClickFix that construction traffic from the Regent Park redevelopment “has left gaping potholes” next to the curb on Dundas St. E., between Parliament and River Sts.
“While potholes located in the centre of the street have been patched, those along the side of the road have been left untended,” said the reader.
“This forces cyclists to pull out from the curb and ride towards the centre of the lane, creating dangerous conflict with passing traffic. In some cases these rough spots and potholes have impeded cyclists for over a year.”
The reader noted hundreds of riders pedal along that stretch of Dundas daily, on their way to and from the cycling lanes that begin east of River, and that “something should be done before someone gets hurt.”
We checked it out and found a huge pothole next to the curb on eastbound Dundas, between Regent and Sackville Sts., along with others that were less threatening but still a hazard.
With two lanes of traffic in both direc- tions along that part of Dundas, a cyclist trying to avoid the hole would have to merge with vehicles in the curb lane, which could be dangerous. Status: We sent a photo of the pothole to Tom Kalogiannis, acting area manager of road operations. He emailed the next day to say “our road repair crews laid down approximately two tonnes of asphalt to make this repair earlier today.” Wow. Two tonnes of asphalt for one pothole. That should just about cover it off, we replied. “Yes, that amount will certainly include other smaller repairs in the area,” he said in a later email, adding, “that is just how it was reported back to me.” Sounds like a problem solved. What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To contact us, go to thestar.com/thefixer or call us at 416-8694823. To read our blog, go to thestar.blogs.com/thefixer. Follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.