Residents at a Waterdown traffic forum were told the city fixes about 90,000 potholes per year and follows minimum maintenance standards set by provincial regulations that consider risk and liability.
Residents say Hamilton’s pothole repair policy is full of holes
Hamilton’s approach to patching potholes took some ribbing as more than 60 people took up the chance to question city officials on a range of traffic issues at a Waterdown town hall hosted by Coun. Ted McMeekin.
Residents at a Waterdown traffic forum were told the city fixes about 90,000 potholes per year and follows minimum maintenance standards set by provincial regulations that consider risk and liability.
Hamilton’s approach to patching potholes took some ribbing as more than 60 people took up the chance to question city officials on a range of traffic issues at a Waterdown town hall hosted by Coun. Ted McMeekin.
The generally polite April 18 session broke into laughter after a resident recounted what happened when he called the city to complain after damaging a shock on his car when he hit a pothole near a stop sign on Concession 8 the week before.
The resident said city crews repaired the road divot five days later, but didn’t touch five other potholes nearby, including one he measured to be almost 7.5 centimetres deep.
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He said he subsequently spoke to a city crew that was patching potholes on Concession 14, and was told repairs are only done to ones identified on their truck’s iPad and marked by yellow paint.
“Somebody went around and put paint around the potholes, so they’d know which ones to fix,” he said. “That’s why there’s all those potholes. You go along and fix this one and then you drive over five … It doesn’t make any sense to me as a farmer.”
Carolyn Ryall, director of Hamilton’s transportation division, told residents the city fixes about 90,000 potholes per year and follows minimum maintenance standards set by provincial regulations that consider risk and liability.
She thanked the resident for raising the issue and said she’d review the city’s processes.
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“We’re dealing with the more severe instances right out of the gate with the intent, if there’s other small patches, that we’ll come back and address them if not addressed in that time period,” Ryall said.
“We’re dealing with risk and the size of them, according to specifications.”
Her response didn’t satisfy the resident, prompting others to joke about ways to ensure potholes meet the city’s criteria. “Make them bigger,” a woman called out to laughter.
“What colour? I’m going to buy cans of that paint,” another man quipped, suggesting he could mark potholes for repair.
Other concerns at the two-hour meeting included the lack of enforcement of speed limits and no-truck routes, drainage issues on Parkside Drive, and the location of red-light cameras in downtown Waterdown.
“We’re now a community of signs but there’s no enforcement whatsoever,” said Greensville resident Andrew Jackson, who asked if he could pay to put a speed cushion on Crooks Hollow Road.
He said the road doesn’t have sidewalks or soft shoulders, making it unsafe for pedestrians because it attracts “car clubs” and weekday commuters seeking a shortcut when they’re in a rush.
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“This roadway is going to have somebody end up getting killed on it,” Jackson said, adding he’d spoken to a police officer who told him the road is too dangerous for a speed trap.
Transportation division manager Mike Field said the city is piloting signage and other measures on rural roads in Ward 11 to try to lessen speeding, but urban roads get more enforcement because they have more collisions.
“Managing appropriate speeds on rural roadways is a challenge for everyone,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the city of Hamilton or other municipalities because they’re generally straight roads and you can drive quickly if you want to.”
Jackson said afterwards he appreciated the meeting but felt police and others, like representatives from the city’s engineering department, should have been there because they are part of any solution.
“All of the responses just felt like Teflon: ‘We hear your concern, you need to report it and we’ll evaluate what needs to be done.’ It’s a blowoff.”
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