Riding along the roads and streets of Honolulu, a bicyclist cannot
help but notice how many potholes there are out there. Some are small
and a relative nuisance, but not really serious. Others are much more
dangerous and can result, at times, in an ijured cyclist and/or
damage to your bicycle.

I've decided that I'm going to be a bit more proactive regarding
potholes, rather than simply get mad at a pinchflat or getting hurt
when I'm knocked down after hitting a pothole. I've come to the
decision that I'm going to report every single serious pothole I see
on the road at the very moment I see it. I'm going to call the
appropriate phone number and let the City or State know that there is
a pothole at a specific location and that it needs fixing.

Now, a pothole isn't a negative reflection of the quality of the
paving job that the City or State workers did. The asphalt can have
been laid down perfectly. But, the asphalt sits on the ground and the
ground is little more than dirt and rock, which shifts along, due to
constant vibration from traffic, as well as rain soaking into the
ground and causing the ground under the asphalt to shift and this
results in the asphalt giving way and that is how we get potholes.

Understanding the HOW of it keeps me from getting mad at the
government for the pothole itself. But, when a pothole is at a given
location for week or months, then it's either the government's fault
for not monitoring the condition of the roads or it's the fault of
the citizenry for not informing the government that there is a
problem somewhere that needs fixing.

Rather than share an equal part of the blame with the government, I'm
going to become the Pothole Patrol and bug the government to fix any
potholes I find and I am going to encourage everyone to join-in and
become part of the Solution.

So, if you want to know how you can report those everpresent potholes
to the government and shift the burden to them, here you go:

If the pothole is on a state road or highway — including Likelike,
most of Kamehameha, Kahekili, Nimitz, Pali, most of Farrington,
Kalaniana'ole, H-1, H-2 or H-3 (including on- and off-ramps), Ala
Moana or Vineyard Boulevard — call the state pothole report line at
536-PUKA (7852).

To report a pothole on a city street, call 768-7777 or fill out a
form at www.honolulu.gov


DUANE