The line has to be drawn somewhere
By Bill Phillips
Not sure which joke is worse – that we hired the ‘gang who couldn’t draw straight’ to paint street lines or the fact that we shouldn’t worry about it too much because the lines will be gone by the time the snow flies.
Kudos to the city for canning the contractor who had Shaky behind the wheel when they were painting lines. And good job in getting a 15 per cent refund on what had been paid.
The line-painting job was simply unacceptable and the city did the right thing by sending the line painters packing, even though they still had a year left on their contract.
But that’s not the worst part of the picture. If you’ve been in Prince George for the past few years you’ve likely wondered where the street lines go when the weather gets bad. Do they head south with the birds? Do they hibernate with the bears? Do they fade away like political dreams?
If you are a motorist in Prince George you’ve undoubtedly noticed that they are non-existent for most of the year on busy streets (the white dots the pavers put in are quite often all we see of street lines for months and for some reason those dots don’t fade).
City staff has explained that environmental regulations changed in 2009, forcing the city to use water-based paint on our roads rather than oil-based.
That would explain why the street lines are good for only a couple of months of the year, but it still doesn’t make sense. (At least the city is looking at re-painting lines this fall).
In light of all this, I do have one question: Why is it that provincial highways don’t seem to have this same affliction? Are they not subject to the same environmental regulations (OK, two questions)?
Maybe the city should be seeing what the highways contractors use.
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We shouldn’t get too bent out of shape by the news that Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris was the top B.C. MP in terms of racking up expenses last year.
Harris billed out $505,257.08 in expenses in 2014-15. Much of that expense comes in the form of office expenses, paying for staff, etc.
When you look at the fact that Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen’s expenses totalled $452,469 and Prince George-Peace River MP Bob Zimmer’s expenses were $485,557, Harris’ expenses, while greater, aren’t that much out of line with MPs in the area.
It’s not even overly upsetting that Harris’ travel expenses almost doubled, going from $56,188 the year before to $108,711 and that most of that increase was because his wife Anne Phillips was tagging along. Her travel bill went from $18,712 to $54,457.
The travesty is that a good portion of Harris’ travel expenses are likely for him to travel back and forth between Ottawa and his home … in the Okanagan, not between Ottawa and his Cariboo-Prince George riding.
In addition, some of those travel costs are, undoubtedly, for him to travel from his home in the Okanagan to his riding here in Prince George. And there’s a certain amount of economic activity (travel agent booking etc.) that is lost to the local riding simply because Harris chooses to live in the Okanagan rather than the riding he represents.
It’s ironic that one of the key issues in the Senator Mike Duffy trial is the residency requirement for senators. It’s not an issue for MPs and Harris is taking full advantage of that at the expense, literally and figuratively, of the riding he serves.
Bill Phillips is a freelance columnist living in Prince George. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. He can be reached at billphillips1@mac.com
Comments
“good job in getting a 15 per cent refund on what had been paid”
I would not pat anyone on the back for that. That amount is a fairly standard amount for a reduction to the sum payable on work which was carried out to the standard specified, if the work is not such which causes safety concerns, such as substandard concrete strengths.
What has me far more concerned is that the work progressed as far as it did before something was done about it. There should have been a section of road or roads which had a representative sampling of most of the conditions to be encountered painted and that became the standard which both parties agreed to and against which the remainder of the painting was to be assessed.
There should not have been more than one day’s work done which was not examined and accepted by the City. As soon as a mistake was made, a stop work should have been ordered and remedial action taken to prevent further painting which did not meet the accepted sample sites.
This is not rocket science. This is simply how good practices (not even best practices) in construction are carried out.
This same problem of lack of quality control seems to prevail when it comes to asphalt paving work in PG. Someone who knows what they are doing needs to look into the department at City Hall responsible for allowing such shoddy work.
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As far as winter goes, we have to remember that our streets do not get cleared immediately after a snow fall. Perhaps after a thaw, we might see bare pavement again. Centre third lanes, such as on Winnipeg street, which are intended as turning slots at intersection are often filled with windrows which render the lanes useless for a significant part of the winter. Not only that, but with end caps being higher than the rest of the snow pile, it is very dangerous to make any turn at all.
In winter, we learn to drive without lines, without crosswalks, without arrow indicating turning lanes, with bike lanes which turn into snow storage lanes, etc. We go by instinct, often driving on paved roads, which become rutted roads and washboard roads at intersections …. Sort of like driving in a hamlet with gravel roads, complete with stones kicked up by spinning tires aimed right at our brand new windshield we installed in the early summer.
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Highways has few potholes and longer lasting paint. We all know that. Well, actually City Hall staff do not seem to know that. It is like comparing house builders to those who can build 50 storey office towers.
Highways have two layers of asphalt, thicker = less potholes in theory
Wasn’t much for paint lines on the hi-way from Cache Creek north this spring either.
gopg2015: “In winter, we learn to drive without lines.” Good point but I would change that to “some of us learn……”
There are a lot of drivers here who ignore the lines in the summer and when winter comes, don’t have a clue.
Some drivers who do go into left turn lanes also pull to the right so far before turning that they are back in the through lane.
Driving theory? Hah, I just have to scratch my head and laugh.
Oh, and watch out for them.
So how does that work if someone is in your “lane” and hits you? If they can’t see where there lane is supposed to be then who is ICBC going to find at fault?
I am not defending Harris but I find this an interesting staement’
“The travesty is that a good portion of Harris’ travel expenses are likely for him to travel back and forth between Ottawa and his home … in the Okanagan, not between Ottawa and his Cariboo-Prince George riding”.
Is this just more baseless anti Harper, anti conservative rhetoric or is there some facts to backup the statement. I do not agree with him living outside the riding and how expenses for his wife have shot up is also interesting.
Posted on Monday, July 6, 2015 @ 8:50 AM by gitterdun
So how does that work if someone is in your “lane” and hits you? If they can’t see where there lane is supposed to be then who is ICBC going to find at fault?
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If they can’t see where their lane is they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place.
Dick Harris gives me an idea; I think I will declare myself an ardent conservative, run in the next mayoral election, and should I win, immediately move to the lower mainland, to lets say “Abbottsford” and oversee the business of governing and operating this city from down there.
Oh, and because I am a staunch conservative rightie, I expect to be re-elected every time I choose to run… now… is wanting what Dick has had all these years, asking for too much?
Ha ha, go for it Sophie! Like I said in an earlier post, get off of your butt, put your name on a ballot, get elected and then save the world on a much bigger platform than Op250!
“City staff has explained that environmental regulations changed in 2009, forcing the city to use water-based paint on our roads rather than oil-based.”
So when are they going to start using non oil based blacktop on our roads?
It’s July and our hwy lines are still not completed. WTF?
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