I.C.B.C. sues maintenance contractor for damage to vehicles!

[petros]

Used to be. They don't do that anymore. When they built the Island Hwy. they went to the opposite extreme in places. At huge expense.

Fully Govt funded or Public/Private Partnership? I gotta admit, they did a good job on that project.

Good cut and fill and sight lines.

 

[JLM]

Used to be. They don't do that anymore. When they built the Island Hwy. they went to the opposite extreme in places. At huge expense.

You got that right.............. I was there, earthquake proofing in the $millions on many bridges- my memory is getting dim but Rosewall Creek or one adjacent and the one at Tsable River.

 

[taxslave]

Fully Govt funded or Public/Private Partnership? I gotta admit, they did a good job on that project.

Good cut and fill and sight lines.

Government funded. It is a nice road, could use a few more interchanges instead of lights.

 

[JLM]

Fully Govt funded or Public/Private Partnership? I gotta admit, they did a good job on that project.

Good cut and fill and sight lines.

\

Gov't. funded- over $1.2 billion worth between Victoria and Campbell River.

 

[petros]

Public/Private Partnership would have cut corners.

 

[JLM]

Public/Private Partnership would have cut corners.

That works well on roads to ski hills, mines etc. the one up to Mt. Washington is a prime example. Can't see it working too well for all purpose traffic.

 

[petros]

Kicking Horse is Public/Private so far it's slick but we'll see 10 years from now.

 

[lone wolf]

....That's another thing; sanding. Roads aren't sanded here anymore, they are gravelled, which manages to cause loads of windshield damage. Who's on the hook for that? Drivers who pay road taxes and insurance premiums.

Count yourself fortunate. Ontario found brooming and drainage correction expensive, so they quit with the sand and went (first) to salt - useless below -15° - then calcium chloride (brine solution) that makes its ice in a lower temperature range - all in the effort to make bare asphalt so Yuppie Beamers could crash into rock cuts at higher speeds. Now, they're bitching about the cost of salt but still haven't figured out they had it right with sand. There is traction in snow. There is none in slush.

 

[L Gilbert]

Count yourself fortunate. Ontario found brooming and drainage correction expensive, so they quit with the sand and went (first) to salt - useless below -15° - then calcium chloride (brine solution) that makes its ice in a lower temperature range - all in the effort to make bare asphalt so Yuppie Beamers could crash into rock cuts at higher speeds. Now, they're bitching about the cost of salt but still haven't figured out they had it right with sand. There is traction in snow. There is none in slush.

Actually we are not so fortunate. CaCl is mixed in with the gravel here.
Sand is simply the best way to go.
Not only that but roads that LOOK bare may also be icy, once the slush has been pounded away by tires.
Stupidity at its best, IMO.

 

[L Gilbert]

You're half right Sal, but potholes CAN appear almost instantly given the conditions and the volume of heavy truck traffic. I would say it all hinges on the duration from when the pothole appeared to when it was addressed. It could reasonably well be an hour or more. Driving at the posted speed in those conditions IS fool hardy.

Uhuh. But if you can't see a pothole that you are coming up to that is bad enough to cause damage to your vehicle, you shouldn't be driving. At least in my perspective.

 

[JLM]

Uhuh. But if you can't see a pothole that you are coming up to that is bad enough to cause damage to your vehicle, you shouldn't be driving. At least in my perspective.

That is true but when you are following 10' behind the vehicle ahead you are not going to see it until it's too late.-

 

[L Gilbert]

That is true but when you are following 10' behind the vehicle ahead you are not going to see it until it's too late.-

In that case, you still shouldn't be driving.

 

[JLM]

In that case, you still shouldn't be driving.

You got that right, but if they were taken off the road as should be, auto manufacturers and salesmen would be screaming, half the traffic cops would be laid off, a good percentage of the undertakers would be out of business and a good portion of each hospital would be closed. NO sh*t, I bet 25% of drivers tail gate on a regular basis.

 

[lone wolf]

No way! From November to April I have no brakes....

 

[rubenoff]

This raises several issues, such as who is ultimately at fault for damage to vehicles caused by road conditions? This is a highway where winter conditions can prevail for about 6 months of the year. Most drivers on it realize that and the conditions are posted at each end on an electronic bulletin board as well as on line. While speeds of 90- 100 kmh are appropriate for summer conditions there, they definitely aren't in winter. Another issue is the maintenance contractor. I know our highways were better maintained back in the days (prior to 1987) when the Highways Ministry did the maintenance. While for most services I prefer the private sector, the same doesn't hold true for safety issues, as you can not put safety and profits into the same equation or someone is going to die. While I think the contractor may be partly responsible I think the final onus lies with the driver..............drive according to conditions.

ICBC sues highway maintenance company over potholes - British Columbia - CBC News

AS a retired 35 year service Highways worker its appaling to see unrepeired potholes and unsanded roads where the end result is danmage to vehicles or expensive accidents which cause the I.C.B.C. costs for all of us to escalate because some one did not weant to spend a few dollars on a load of sand, and the Worst part there is no quality control in the system so that a project supervisor could ask for action to repair a safety defect on the road and if the Contractor did not perform the work immediately then another firm should be called to repair the defect and the money be taken out of the Contractors budget that would motivate them to get off their duff. we have no one who cares, about accident prevention and the waste of taxpayers dollars that are funneled into the pockets of uncaring contractors
Rubenoff