I and thousands of others are with you on that I am sure.

Virtually everyone in this city is in contact with the pavement every day, whether it is vehicles, wheelchairs, bicycles, even walking. It is likely the most common city facility used by all.

It is getting worse, or else it is just the roads which I tend to travel which are getting worse.

Whatever the budget was, they need to double it to catch up with what should have been done in the past. I knolw there was an increase several years ago. It obviously was not enough.

I see another 10 million or so may be spent on the Kin Centre over the next few years, then the ice oval. Neither of these two projects is as important as the basic tansportation network most of us use. Council should show that they can make the right decision and mothball projects such as that until the roads are brough back up to a reasonable standard.

I'll pay $250 more taxes per year so that I do not have early repairs on my cars and I can pay more attention to the traffic around me rather than avoiding the holes in pavement. It is, actually, another matter of safety.

Good call, owl! The money I've spent on the front end of my vehicles alone in the past 5 years is insane. And as far as safety goes, I was just recently thrown into the oncoming lane after my tire landed in a hole on one of our "pretty good roads". Not cool.

Lets PAVE the rds, Not Patch them , The patchs last a week then, when the patchs come out the Rds are worse, NO NO I will not pay any more Taxs for rd repair. IF THE CITY CAN BUILT RINKS WRITE OF LOANS TO ART GALLRY, Run the Mayor all over the world,Give them selfs raises, But let OUR rds go to hell, THEN THEY HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. DO WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT!!!! FIX THE ROADS!!!!This is not one mans opinion, This is 80,000 Peoples Opinion I BELIEVE, but I might be wrong

Okay .... you showed me the light. I'll pay $50, just to show good will.

And you are right, we need proper repairs with those machines which recycle much of the aggregate.

Maybe rather than sending people to talk to those feeding off the avails of athletes, we should send Mr. Blues to a road repair trade show to look at purchasing some better road repair equipment.

We suffered a very substantial financial loss by having endless frontend repairs done to a brand new domestic sedan which was always driven very carefully, never on gravel roads, only on P.G. city streets and going south on #97 occasionally. With a very low mileage on it we finally gave up and traded it (getting very little for it) for a SUV.

His Majesty the Mayor boasts that "the city has not exhausted its borrowing capability by a long shot."

O.K.

Raise my taxes by 300 bucks a year and borrow the required money NOW!

Stop dithering and diddling around!

The streets and roads must be repaved - no more patches on top of patches! I dare the Mayor to show some common sense by restoring all the busted and worn-out streets to a safe and modern standard!

And I once again wish to state my disappointment that even after having been assured twice by Mr. Pat Bell (during the last 3 years) that 1st Avenue "will be paved this year from Victoria Street to the Ritchie Bros. turn-off" absolutely nothing has been done!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only are we getting the cold shoulder from the Provincial Government but nobody from the City has the GUTS to go public and demand immediate action!

No more egocentric mega projects until these deplorable third world conditions have been corrected!

Ben hits the nail on the head when he says there is no glory in paving roads. I have driven in different Citys on the Island, Kamloops, and the Lower Mainland and you will never find roads in such disrepair as you find in Prince George. This is a disgrace. You are constantly hittng Potholes, anywhere you drive. All you feel in your cars is *Bam Bam Bam Bam* this goes on all day long. Our Mayor and Council had better get off the pot and start to look after the things they were elected for. We dont need an Ice Oval, nor do we need a New Police Station, or a Co-Gen station, or a New Cameron St. Bridge, or at the very least we do not need them right away. We do need good roads for safety reasons, and to get rid of the wear and tear on our vehicles.

I will not pay more taxes thier is plenty of money.Prince George has one of the highest tax rates in B.C.

Good roads are a ‘must priority’ for PG. I suggest the City stop all special interest grants and give-aways to non-profit and others such as the Art Gallery for one year and funnel all the money in to road replacement (not repairs). I agree with others that the money we as tax payers are paying for vehicle front end work and wheel alignments is crazy. Who is going to be liable for accidents if you hit a pot hole or get jerked into another lane to on coming traffic?

FreeE:"Good roads are a ‘must priority’ for PG. I suggest the City stop all special interest grants and give-aways to non-profit and others such as the Art Gallery for one year and funnel all the money in to road replacement (not repairs). I agree with others that the money we as tax payers are paying for vehicle front end work and wheel alignments is crazy. Who is going to be liable for accidents if you hit a pot hole or get jerked into another lane to on coming traffic? "<

Your whole comment is fully endorsed by me and worth repeating over and over!!!

Is anybody at City Hall going to pay attention? It is doubtful because by just re-electing the mayor and most of the previous councilors we gave them a thumbs-up and approval of the past policies that led to this sorry state of affairs, i.e our sadly neglected road & street infrastructure.

We may be stuck for the duration.

I was involved in a project up at UNBC a few years back that the City organized.

The question was this: Where should we be spending our money? My response to them at that time was that 80% of the money they have allocated to streets be directed at those streets that handle 80% of the traffic. I believe that eventually, that is what happened.

It did take a few years to happen, but it did happen.

The problem is this, what about the remaining 80% of our streets?

I agree with everyone here. Our streets are an embarrassment. They are a hazard.

They are in pathetic condition for a community that is inviting people from all over the world to come and visit us. Percy

Very well spoken, Ben. There is no need for me to add more.
I do question why we spent over $17 million extending 15th Avenue to UNBC when other projects, such as replacing the Cameron Street Bridge were completely ignored. We need far more intelligent people governing this City, letting common sense rather than politcal gain determining their final decisions.

To Ben, and all of the other posters on this topic.
I really cannot add anything of substance to what has already been said.
Yes, the roads do need to be priority #1 !

So get on it kinsley...

Percy:"The question was this: Where should we be spending our money? My response to them at that time was that 80% of the money they have allocated to streets be directed at those streets that handle 80% of the traffic. I believe that eventually, that is what happened."

If the annual allocation amounts were far below what was required to properly maintain streets and roads then to argue about percentages would make about as much sense as trying to distribute 15 candies amongst 100 children.

I think we have to be aware of what are operating expenses and what are capital expenses. Much of the gripe here is the seasonal pothole issue, which would be covered from general operating funds. As far as street directions, flow strategies, etc., this would be handled through various capital projects... funded accordingly. Operating and capital funding sources and planning remain quite different. Notwithstanding, I find the roads and traffic patterns, flows to be quite adequate, along with the promptness of pothole repair. Where I take issue is the horrific driving habits of the average resident. It's like being stuck in a parade at the Geriatrics Festival. My God people, I don't care what the speed limit sign reads.... if you're on the highway and there's no traffic obstructions, do you think you could squeak a little horsepower out of those trucks and take it over 50 kph!? Same goes for 1st Ave, Queensway, Ospika and Foothills. If you don't have the confidence to drive, get off the road! And if you won't get off the road, at the very least, pull over into the right lane and be courteous enough to allow others to get by... you're not responsible for policing other's driving habits or creating traffic obstacles to sooth your lack of comprehension of traffic flow. If you have any doubts around these matters, I know it surprises some of you to think that traffic lights are set at anything but random but, they're actually set to maintain traffic flow and guess what? You aint't going to flow doing 50 kph on 1st Ave!


I feel much better now... meet you on the road, eh.

Oops! I meant 2nd Ave, not 1st Ave. Notwithstanding, the rest of the rant stands.

Quasi:"Much of the gripe here is the seasonal pothole issue, which would be covered from general operating funds."

Actually, the griping is not only about the seasonal potholes! It is a fact that most of our streets do not only have potholes, but cracks every ten feet or so and heaved and buckled stretches.

I invite you to come up the Hart and navigate Cook Crescent, Croft Road etc. for instance! Bring your camera along! Remember to watch out for buses, because it is a bus route!!! These streets have not only been patched and re-patched again and again, but they had also been dug up and trenched for sewer/water connections.

After the trenches have been back filled and paved the pavement is never even with the original pavement, so one encounters deep dips and bumps by the dozens which make driving almost impossible.

This is simply beyond patching, it must be totally repaved. It is like putting patches on top of patches which were already patched to repair other patches!

In this area of town (remember, we pay full city taxes, just like College Heights which has mostly new subdivisions) there are many more streets in various stages of deterioration which can not be repaired by the seasonal cold fill, shovel and pail method anymore.

I bet you the Mayor has not seen any of these streets for years!

As far as slow driving is concerned I agree that people should attempt to drive at the posted speed limit weather conditions permitting.

In all other cases, the speed limit IN TOWN is 50km/h unless otherwise posted.

That includes 5th, 10th, 15th, 1st Avenue (!) and Foothills and Highland Drive, which has become a virtual racetrack for all kinds of vehicles, including buses, trucks, garbage and cement trucks and police cars which completely ignore the fact that it is a residential street with a 50km/h limit.

If I have to slow down in order to steer around huge potholes I really can't worry about the guy behind me who wants to go faster! If he doesn't like it he can complain to those who are responsible for the atrocious road conditions!

Hey Dip, I actually don't see much of a problem on the main arterial routes, other than the aforementioned drivers. As for lesser-traveled routes, notwithstanding whether they are on a bus route or not, deserve a more balanced approach to maintenance. Actually, this remind me of the early '90s when one of my former neighbours on St. John Cres. circulated a petition for speed bumps... reflective of the recently erected community park. Any way, anyone who's ever driven St. John Cres would know what a redundancy that would be... never seen frost heaves like that before. LOL

Points being made:
1.) Main roads are being attended to just fine
2.) Side streets, etc. should be taken care of when funds are available… we’re just coming out of several years of economic downturn… should happen soon.
3.) If we truly were expected to only drive 50 kph on main streets, the traffic lights wouldn’t be programmed for say, 65 kph.
Courteous drivers have no problem of staying in the right lane to allow others to pass… without finding the need to police other’s driving habits… take it up with your therapist, not your fellow drivers.

Quasi:" Courteous drivers have no problem of staying in the right lane to allow others to pass… without finding the need to police other’s driving habits… take it up with your therapist, not your fellow drivers."

Thank you for your kind words! There are no programmed-for-speed traffic lights in P.G. and I never had a need for attempting to police the driving habits of others, not even you, who likes to drive 15km/h over the speed limit!

See you at the therapists office, the one where you always go!

Yes, Wecome to Prince George, wham, crash bang, look in the mirror to make sure no parts fell off of your vehicle.

Make sure your mirror doesn't fall off (for instance) while you are crossing the intersection of Victoria and 15th Avenue!

If it does fall off it must be your own fault, after all it has been commented here that conditions are fine and only bad for those who love to gripe and ignore the real issue, like slow drivers.

Visitors beware if you are arriving by vehicle!

Make sure to tell others about the "excellent" roads and streets in Prince George, British Columbia!

Hey Dip, thanks for confirming you are one of those drivers who truly believes the traffic lights change randomly... the frustration factor of having to share the roads with people who drive so serendipitously can truly send a thinking man to therapy. LOL

Quasi, you insist that the traffic lights are programmed for a certain speed!

Well, the lights at the intersections from 5th to 10th to 15th are doing whatever they want - they are not interconnected so that one gets a "green wave" after getting a green light at the first one.

They randomly change when a car at one of the intersecting streets hits a sensor in the pavement.

Same for Victoria Street.

Regardless, you managed to steer the topic away from the potholes to something else, and that is what you wanted.

I wonder why???

This is called "fuzzification" and you are very good at it!

Have fun crunching through the thousands of potholes!

What everyone is getting confused here is that the several of the main roads in PG are provincially looked after versus the City. I do find it terrible that the City and the province have no way of co-ordinatting the traffic lights on Central (Hwy 97) and the feeder streets that are looked after by the City.

Why the need for the conspiracy theory? I just stated my opinion as to the roads being serviced quite effectively... 3 new discussions now attesting to just that... and yet, you feel the need to sense a subversion or conspiracy? LOL
Enjoy your serendipitous driving... just do the rest of us the favour of keeping right.

Quasi: "Enjoy your serendipitous driving... just do the rest of us the favour of keeping right."

You mean there are more like you? I doubt it!

Just do me the favour of giving up your mental midget attitude!