Vancouver residents are sharing their grievances with the city for its approach to fixing the litany of potholes on streets that have appeared following the deep freeze.
Numerous people have taken to social media to share images of new potholes in high traffic areas as well as to report particularly treacherous ones. Some of them ask when the city plans to fix the hazardous holes, as some of them remain on the road for a longer period of time.
Can the city fill the HUGE TIRE EaTing pothole on the Marine drive (exit)off-ramp of the Knight street bridge. #Vancouver #tires #cityofvancouver
— davedbenefield (@davedbenefield) January 11, 2022
To quote the great @Ravin_Rae, “It’s pothole season.”
— Bianca Rego (She/Her) (@BiancaMariaRego) January 8, 2022
Hey @DriveBC dangerous potholes on the Queensborough bridge Northbound. Who should this be reported to?
— Paul_the_pedalist (@PaulthePedalist) January 4, 2022
@AM730Traffic pothole warning on #1 pic.twitter.com/HomPNoEVXA
— Golden Mean Sailors (@GoldenMeanSail) January 12, 2022
@CityofVancouver Hi Van Connect app isn't working for me to report potholes. Natal st 2800 block sb lane has a pothole. As does Dundas eb before you turn at Nanaimo in left lane. Wb Broadway in lane 2 just past St Georges has 3 big potholes as well.
— Scott H (@scotth26) January 11, 2022
Stark increase in number of potholes in Vancouver
Amy Sidwell, Manager of Street Operations for the City of Vancouver, told Vancouver Is Awesome that the recording-breaking cold snap followed by warming temperatures precipitated the rise of potholes and that street operations crews are actively working on repairing them.
"Potholes are caused by regular freezing and thawing during seasonal changes and usually occur on older road surfaces," she explained. "Residents and businesses that notice areas requiring attention are [encouraged] to contact the City via 3-1-1 or VanConnect."
Crews will follow up and schedule repairs, prioritizing deeper potholes, added Sidwell. Emergency requests are responded to and completed on the same day.
"Keeping our roads in a state of good repair is a priority for the City. Crews and supervisors routinely monitor road conditions and identify areas needing remediation," she said.
Seeing a lot of new potholes on nearby roads. Going to be interesting cycling in coming weeks. #bcthaw #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/uqFzGwfANC
— Robert Alstead (@RobertAlstead) January 12, 2022
While Vancouver's streets and roads are in the jurisdiction of the city and managed and maintained by our Street Operations branch within Engineering Services, bridges and the Stanley Park Causeway are managed by the B.C. Ministry of Transportation. Locals are advised to directly report the potholes in this area to Miller Capilano by calling 1.866.918.1010 ext 1.
@CityofVancouver huge pothole on Stanley park causeway to bridge at entrance of forest section when heading north. It’s Going to cause major damage to vehicles if not fixed asap #vancouver #cityofvancouver
— Joshua Haywood (@joshuahaywood) January 12, 2022
In 2021, the city responded to 3163 pothole service requests. This year, to date, it has responded to 197 pothole service requests.
