Mr. Mayor...I'd Like New Shocks Please

Can I send a bill to the city for my car repairs? No really, I'd like to know because I'm pretty sure their lazy attitude and poor response in resurfacing the roads in my neighbourhood has cost me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the years.

I keep saying I'm going to drive down my street and count every noticeable bump I roll over. There are so many places where they've ripped up the street and tried patching it, or spots that have sunken over the years I'm sure I'd lose count.

I'm amazed each year how my street avoids being listed on the CAA website for Ontario's Worst Roads. I guess I need to vote more than once.

According to a poll on the CAA website, 89% of those who answered said the Ontario Government should dedicate a portion of the $3 Billion in gasoline taxes it collects from Ontario motorists each year to local road repairs. I'd agree with that.

My street is by far one of the worst in the city. In fact there are two streets I have to drive on to get out of my area and onto one of the major roads in town and both of those roads shake, rattle and bounce you all over the place. I can literally hear my springs and shocks saying, "Stop driving through a field you bonehead."

It's really quite embarrassing when the posted speed limit is 50 Km/h and if you go any faster than 30 Km/h you risk bottoming out and having to replace the muffler and everything else under your vehicle. It's pretty sad when you need a 4X4 truck just to drive to the corner store.

I've lived in this town trying to be a city long enough and know that nothing will change in the near future. After another winter when the road gets worse and the dips drop even further, the best we can hope for is six well paid city workers manning one shovel and a truck full of hot asphalt deciding which canyon to fill next.

In the meantime, a copy of my next repair bill will be in the mail to city hall asking them to reimburse me. I won't hold my breath of course.