Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:
Here’s some reader comments on L.A.’s pothole problems:
I found your website while trying to find information about potholes in LA. I was driving down Wilshire, hit a really deep pothole and an hour later my tire was flat. I had sidewall damage bad enough that the tire had to be replaced, and with service charges it’s ridiculous considering it’s the city’s fault for not fixing the road. From what I remember, I called the city (forgot which number) [to find out if the repairs could be reimbursed] and basically had a run-around with the voice menu they have, so I ended up just sending out a few e-mails. Unfortunately I never heard back from anyone. Sounds like they purposely ignore people when it comes to money or repairs. When I was at the tire shop the guy said “it looks like you hit a pothole” before I even told him what had happened. I guess I should have gotten a little note from him confirming it was pothole damage … Oh well! I will definitely keep this claim form [we steered him to the online claim form but it was more than six months after the damages, and the city has a time limit on filing claims] for future pothole issues though, I’m sure it’ll happen someday with how horrible the LA streets are in some areas!
And:
I live in Laurel Canyon and think the roads where I live are possibly the worst in the city. Combine that with a stiff German suspension (M3 w/ 19″) and frustration soon rears it’s ugly head. I’ve lived all around this country and must say that the roads here are the absolute worst. To think that frigid, ice laden, streets of the mid-West and East coast are in much better shape than here is a testament to the gross neglect.
And:
As a veteran driving instructor in Los Angeles, I have been thinking of starting a pot hole site and found out somebody was more fed up with the streets than I am. In thirty years of driving the streets of Los Angeles I have never seen the streets in such a shameful state. Our mayor should be fired, this is about politics and where they choose to cut and fund money. There are a ton of hard working tax payers that deserve streets that are safe and functional, not destroying their cars tires and suspensions. Our streets are worse than some third world countries.