I have noticed this series of potholes on Dundas St., eastbound just west of Prince Edward Dr. (map) growing bigger over the last few weeks. The potholes are long and somewhat narrow, parallel to the roadway and probably about 1.5m from the curb.
Riding eastbound on Dundas St. towards the Humber River, there is usually a fairly high amount of traffic, plus the downhill grade of the road really allows cyclists, and motorists, to pick up speed. A momentary loss of attention or movement to avoid another hazard could cause a cyclist's front wheel to drop into this chasm leading to a terrible over-the-handlebars kind of crash, or just a mangled wheel and fork if you're lucky.
The Star's "Fixer" column earlier this week got very quick results with the bike-crash causing pothole on Dupont St. I want to see how quickly the City responds to a request from a regular schmoe like me who doesn't have media credentials.
This morning I followed the directions on The City's pothole page: "Call the City at 416-599-9090, press the pound key (#) followed by 164 and leave a message". I spoke to a person who took the report. Perhaps all cyclists should have this number programmed in to their cell phones, or at least written down somewhere convenient, so that we can report these types of dangerous situations immediately.
I will continue to ride past here every morning and evening during my commute, and will report back as soon as it gets fixed.
It costs about $25 to repair a pothole. Crews repair the potholes within four days of it being reported.
Let's hope this one gets filled in quickly, as it's more than just a bumpy annoyance, it's a disaster waiting to happen.
Comments
jamesmallon (not verified)
potholes
Wed, 06/03/2009 - 15:50Excellent idea. I have just put it on my cell now. What about cars in no stopping/parking zones, reckless driving and the like. All cyclists should programme them in.
Random cyclist (not verified)
Good Call
Thu, 06/04/2009 - 08:50I had the same idea concerning Dundas west of University. The stretch all the way from spadina to Lansdowne is pretty brutal, with everything from potholes to sunken grates to cut up pavement. I bike that stretch everyday in the rush and it's a definite concern to me. I wonder what the fixer will have to say about your request. I'd love to see Dundas resurfaced.
vic
To clarify....
Thu, 06/04/2009 - 09:48.....I didn't report this to The Fixer. He probably would have ignored it, as he just covered a similar topic, and moved on to others.
I reported this directly to the City's pothole line, and spoke to someone there.
As of an hour ago when I rode by this morning, it's still not fixed.
Tone (not verified)
That's a bad section
Fri, 06/05/2009 - 12:17With the bridge work on Dundas (narrowed lanes, traffic backing up) it makes potholes like this even more dangerous ... not a lot of room with traffic backed up to move to avoid!
Very curious to see how you make out ... if your successful, perhaps I'll start logging and reporting the worst potholes on my commute. Maybe by mid-summer, I'll have nothing but smooth road!
JimmyP (not verified)
I went by this pothole on the
Mon, 06/08/2009 - 08:26I went by this pothole on the weekend and it looks like a scene out of a horror movie when the earth opens up to swallow someone whole. OK a little dramatic but this thing is brutal and not fixed.