Spring is normally the time of year when Quebecers begin to make their way out of hibernation, as they soak in the sun and warmer weather, after spending several months contending with snow, ice and sleet, but in rural communities it also means the start of poor road conditions.
Philippe Mathurin, a Bolton-Est resident, told The Record that in his six years living in the small town, he has never witnessed road conditions as bad as they have been in the past few weeks. Lac-Nick Road, for example, was nearly impossible to drive on, according to Mathurin.
“I actually busted one shock on my car and probably bent the rim and we were trying to go as slowly as possible, but you know that way normally takes me five minutes and now Lac-Nick Road took about 15 to 20 minutes to travel because it was so bad,” he explained.
The road’s poor condition has been addressed by the town, Mathurin continued, but it only happened after residents complained online and directly to the council. A photo provided by Mathurin shows dozens of large, unavoidable potholes on the road just a few weeks ago.
In a phone interview, Mathurin speculated that the town’s recent municipal administration overhaul could be a reason for the delay in addressing Lac-Nick Road. He said the administration lost roughly 80 per cent of its staff, including the town’s roads inspector.
“Normally at this time of year he would kind of order some trucks to come and fill in the worst areas and for this year it took a while before anything was done. I think all of the complaints that we did on the Internet and all of the emails sent to the municipality did work,” he said.
Subscribe to The Record for the full story and more
