Roadhole rage close to the surface

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This article was published 08/04/2010 (5840 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man is fuming about the city’s pothole problems after his car was damaged by a massive hole in the road.

Gary Barringer recently got his 1996 Audi A4 back from the shop after he struck what he calls a “roadhole” heading west on Higgins Avenue near Salter Street in March.

Barringer, who now lives in St. James after moving from Rathgar Avenue in Fort Rouge, said the impact caused by the hole “took out” his car’s oil pan.

“It’s a pretty major piece of a car to be damaged,” said Barringer, who is a graphic artist in the film industry. “I know enough about cars to have turned my engine off immediately after I hit the hole.”

Barringer said Manitoba Public Insurance has been “good at dealing with the situation. The day I got my car back, my adjuster told me that another accident had been caused by the same hole.”

He said he has also filed a claim with the City of Winnipeg for the damages, but has yet to hear back from them.

But what is fuelling Barringer’s anger the most is the annual Winnipeg pursuit of dodging potholes.

“I have relatives that visit here from Europe and they compare us to a Third World country,” said Barringer, who was born in Portsmouth, England and arrived in Canada when he was seven.

“And two summers ago, I was in England for a few months. In one week, they resurfaced a busy oceanside road more than five miles long in just a week. This goes for all of their roads and maintenance and puts Winnipeg’s best work to shame,” he said.

“I know many people say our problems are mostly climate-related, but I say that’s just crap considering the engineering capabilities we now have.”

On a wider scale, the provincial government announced a further $72.5 million in funding to help replace Manitoba’s winter roads with all-season ones on March 30.

“Climate change is contributing to a shorter winter road season on average, with southern sections of our winter road network particularly vulnerable, as we witnessed this year,” said Premier Greg Selinger in a statement.

Meanwhile, an MPI spokesperson said 2009 was the worst year for pothole-related damage claims for seven years.

“I can’t say exactly why this was, but it’s probably due to the nasty thaw we had,” said Brian Smiley, MPI’s media relations officer.
Smiley said MPI received 667 related claims last year compared to 311 in 2008.

“We usually average between 300 and 400 of these claims,” he said, adding that it’s a “bit of a myth” that MPI doesn’t ever fork out for pothole-related damages.

Considering the facts of this particular case, Barringer feels his roadhole encounter could have still been a whole lot worse.

“I drive a Harley-Davidson. If I was on my motorcycle when I hit this hole, I’d be dead right now” Barringer said. “No question about it.”

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com