Ever present potholes causing damage to vehicles in Kamloops, Okanagan
For the second time, a Kamloops resident is stuck replacing a car tire after hitting a pothole in the city.
Mason Falk is currently driving at reduced speeds on a spare donut tire trying to get to work and back.
“The hole is at the hairpin turn coming down Summit about a quarter way through the turn,” he said. “I heard a bang and felt a rumbling and a very bad pull to my left side. My tire was destroyed.”
Falk hit the hole on New Year’s Day, around the same time he popped a tire on a pothole last year in the city. He is paying the cost of the tire replacement and enduring related inconveniences.
Cities are responsible for maintaining arterial roads, collector roads and local roads, which includes potholes which are ongoing, and sometimes costly nuisances for drivers, especially at this time of year.
“I got a deal on my last tire but this replacement tire will likely cost more, up to $200,” Falk said. “I have to leave early to get to work on time as I can only go 80 kilometres an hour on the spare donut I have on currently.”
Constant variation of temperatures above and below freezing results in the creation of potholes every winter and more predominantly in the early spring, according to a post on the City of Kamloops website.
READ MORE: Kelowna snow plow drivers seeing increase in 'snow rage'
Amar Sandhu is an experienced commercial truck driver who moved to the Tournament Capital from the Lower Mainland two years ago.
He said he is shocked at the conditions of road surfaces in Kamloops.
“They (the roads) are really bad here with uneven surfaces, bumpy surfaces and potholes,” he said. “On the mainland most of the alleys have blacktop and here there is just gravel and dirt, and even the main streets are not good. I passed a big pothole when dropping my son off at school. If someone hits that their tire will be gone.”
READ MORE: Kelowna woman stressed out over private parking ticket
Sandhu is currently off work with an injury but typically drives water trucks and septic trucks in and around the city. So far he hasn’t damaged a work or personal vehicle on a pothole.
“I try to keep an eye on where they are and remember it,” he said. “I am careful to slow down and avoid them.”
Kelowna’s city roadways operations manager, Andrew Schwerdtfeger said reports of potholes in Kelowna are way lower than they were at the same time last year, which he attributes to two resurfacing improvements completed earlier this year on Gordon Drive and Beaver Lake Road, along with a good pavement management program.
“When a resident calls in to report a pothole we get it fixed in the next 24 to 48 hours depending on how much it needs attention, if it is going to be a big issue and cause damage, and staffing availability,” he said.
When asked whether there is compensation for drivers who damage tires on potholes, Schwerdtfeger said he can’t speak for the City of Kelowna on the topic, but he can help fix the problem.
“We do have a claims department and drivers can submit a claim,” he said. “Claims are treated on a case by case basis because there are so many variables. What we can do right away if a vehicle gets damage is we can run in and fill the hole temporarily and put cones around it.”
READ MORE: Penticton's lake-to-lake cycling path to stay the course
When asked if he asked the City of Kamloops about reimbursement, Falk said he didn’t bother trying to get compensation as it would be a “waste of time” and he’d “never see any money.”
“The City is always looking for better ways to alleviate the problem of potholes that appear every spring,” said the post on the City of Kamloops website. “However, until a better system is found, motorists must be vigilant for the ever present pothole menace.”
The City of Kamloops did not respond to a request for information surrounding claims for damaged tires in time for publication.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
