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Nov 12, 2023

LETTERS: City’s strategy on manhole locations feels like a cover

Editor: Is it only me or do vehicle owners and operators constantly find

Editor:

Is it only me or do vehicle owners and operators constantly find themselves and their vehicle tires at the mercy of "suspiciously located" maintenance or manhole covers on our road systems everywhere we travel?

It seems reasonable to ask why these covers are predominantly placed in a roadway so that either the driver-side or passenger-side tires have to pass directly over them, potentially causing tire, suspension or axle damage, distension or misalignment.

Surely it would be easy to simply locate them in the exact centre of the roadway so that all vehicles can safely pass over them without having to either slow down or deviate slightly to avoid them.

Additionally, even if it were not possible, for some reason, why are so many covers seemingly constructed so that they are located below the level of the asphalt and create a depression in the road that causes the vehicle tires to dip into this depression every time, causing the inevitable clunk or bump as the vehicle suspension reacts to the sinkage?

If it's not maintenance covers it's weather-caused pot holes that we have to constantly be on the lookout for on our roads.

I’m sure repair shops and garages are happy to have this to continue, but I think it's fair to ask why we can't build roads where these maintenance and inspection covers are not a hazard to road users and the reason for many a vehicle repair bill.

Michael King, White Rock

Letter to the Editor

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