Mike Farwell

If you’ve used the 4-0-1 recently, I can certainly understand your frustration in being slowed by the annual late-winter ritual of “pothole repairs.” I was a victim myself as I made a trip to Toronto early Saturday morning. But what seemed even worse was the trip back home later that same day. While I was able to maintain the 100 km/h speed limit the entire time, I found myself swerving often to avoid the very potholes that these crews are apparently spending so much time repairing. The ensuing problem, of course, is twofold. One, the 401 is an absolute mess — a situation that is almost unacceptable for a highway that is so integral to travel and commerce in this part of the country. And two, if you thought the pothole repairs were a problem now, brace yourself. By the looks of things, we have a long construction season ahead.

On a related note, it’s not much easier getting around in the city these days. Certainly not on the sidestreets anyway. I’m reminded of the primitive corduroy roads every time I travel down a street that is not a main arterty. You’re lucky if you can travel 10 km/h, and unwise if you try to go faster. I know our cities are growing and the February snow has been just short of relentless. But this situation also smacks of the unacceptable. Whether we need more plows or longer shifts to get to these streets cleared before the snow freezes to impassable chunks of ice, something must be done. The days of corduroy roads are long behind us because we’ve apparently advanced as a society. You just wouldn’t know it by trying to drive through the city these days.