Letter: Sudbury a ‘pothole nightmare’

People who were here 40 years ago, and are still living today, remember when all the towns around Sudbury had their own mayor and staff that looked after roads and the overall well-being of their community.

Well that all changed when former Ontario Premier Mike Harris changed the status to what it is today, blending all the towns into one called the City of Greater Sudbury.

Back then, Harris bragged how it would save money in the long run. He got his way in the end.

Now we see, years later, how all the outside towns in and around Sudbury, and yes a good 80 per cent of all Sudbury streets, have become a pothole nightmare. How many millions of dollars and how many months will it take to fix it up?

I do not blame our mayor for our unsafe roads. I blame the last four mayors, who sat at the helm with their city council members that were not on top of keeping city streets up to par.

Everyone is trying to dodge potholes in the curb lanes where most of them are, and now most of us are driving in the centre lane.

The overall cost is hitting us all with broken ball joints, bent rims and needing realignments.

God help us when it rains. All the potholes are hidden under water. Yes it’s becoming a pothole nightmare out there, driving on our unsafe streets.

Lorne Johnson
Sudbury, Ont.