Fredericton — New Brunswick’s capital has gained a reputation not only for being home to some of the worst drivers in the province, but to some of the most treacherous roads as well. The City of Fredericton is now requesting motorists “report a pothole” in an effort to help manage the problem.
Residents can report a pothole by email, Facebook (City of Fredericton) or telephone (506-460-2038). Incoming reports will be passed on to street crews who will repair the potholes in a timely manner.
Downtown Fredericton resident Cara Smith is originally of Moncton and says the capital’s roads are rough shape. “Fredericton is probably worse than Moncton because here it seems to be the same potholes in the same place every year,” she said. “On Saturday I hit a pothole and terrified my passenger, but it didn’t seem to do any damage to my car.”
Smith said she heard about the City of Fredericton’s program, but “didn’t consider actually taking advantage. I don’t drive enough for it to really bother me. I figure they’ll get around to it eventually without me reporting.”
“I would call if there was a bad pothole on a route I travelled a lot,” said Blake Menzies, another Fredericton driver. Menzies said he saw a post about the “report a pothole” program on Facebook. Whether it will better the condition of Fredericton roads is up for debate. “I think it would help on the (potholes) getting reported a lot, but the ones that don’t get reported a lot will probably still be overlooked, so it will be the same as before.”
Mayor Brad Woodside has asked for the public’s help and understanding when it comes to street repairs. “We have over 350 kilometres of roads in the City of Fredericton, so I appreciate any effort by our residents to help City staff identify the locations of potholes,” he said. “Unfortunately, due to the time of year, City crews can only make temporary repairs to potholes, so I thank motorists in advance for their patience.”