I was heartened and relieved to read an article on page 10 of Thursday's T&T Guardian publication, that there will be an effort to begin pothole repair across the country. This has been long overdue, as our roads are deteriorating rapidly.
I have one concern–the quality of the repair. You see, our method of repair results in either a bump or a hump that was not there before, and if one was to really observe why our driving experience is unpleasant, pay attention to the repair.
We have a specific style of pothole/utility repair where after the road is dug up asphalt is thrown into the hole and our vehicles are used to smoothen it. Many of us have had this disgusting experience, not to mention cleaning the tar off your vehicle.
After this the process of settling begins and the repair now sinks, causing a depression. If a more generous amount of asphalt is used, a bump is born. This is the process by which are roads are repaired and thus the reason for an unpleasant driving experience.
There is no pride taken by those undertaking the repair, and there is no inspection by those in charge. So, do it halfway and done with that! But I am absolutely sure that if one has to repair a hole in their driveway it will be properly smoothed over.
Road repair leaves much to be desired in this country. We have gotten so used to sub-standard work! As an ordinary citizen, I would expect that a hole resulting from road deterioration should be squared or rectangle, cubic measured and the correct amount of asphalt used to fill then smoothen. All loose debris should then be swept up and we move on to the next.
As regards a utility repair, it should be compacted and the same procedure used. This is what we as motorists should expect.
It is the government's responsibility to provide us with safe and proper roads. And if we can be charged for misuse of the road well, we should be able to charge the Works Ministry also for not providing user-safe conditions.
When we hit a pothole and out tyre gets busted, our rims bent, our bodies shocked, our pressure rises from anger, we just take it. This is why it is done in an anyhow manner–allyuh take dat–because we cannot claim and no one cares.
Permit me to say we are also faced with streetlights that do not work, speed bumps that are unpainted, metal barriers that after they have served their purpose are just left there. Concrete barriers that lay sideways on the roadside, those cheap plastic barriers that are disintegrating and breaking up all over the place. Improper road signage, potholes with white-painted rims, and other issues too numerous to mention.
Recently some repair was done on the Beetham Highway and concrete barriers used to separate the lanes. Well, if you look at it, that is a disaster waiting to happen. Motorists, be careful.
It is really unfair to all road users, and I refer not only to motorists, that we have to undergo this type of daily torture every time we have to use these substandard roads and services.
I think we are generally good drivers as we have become skilled in dodging holes, seeing in the dark, seeing around corners and generally understanding each other in this organised chaos everyday.
Jason Karam,
Wood brook