We Are All Brothers/Sisters In Pothole Pain

I got contacted this afternoon to do an interview with some journalists for Centretown News about potholes and cycling. We arranged to meet outside my apartment, where there is a bumper crop of hideous potholes (if you want to see them you'll have to wait for the piece to come out at Centretown News Online, probably before the weekend.)

As I wheeled Mike along the pavement, I saw a van with the hazards flashing, and thought it might be the camera crew's vehicle. But, no - they were piling out of a hatchback just beyond the van. The van, alas, had just broken an axle.

The owner was gracious enough to give an interview. In fact, when the tow truck driver arrived and saw the cameras turning to film as he towed the van away, he also stopped and leapt out of the truck to cross the snowbanks and say, "This is the twelfth car like this I've picked up today!" to the camera. He was blocking the entrance to the parking garage, though, so had to pull the truck up and out of the way. But then came back to do an interview (all the while filming the interview on his own cell phone.)

At least by the end of the whole encounter, the poor driver of the van had a smile on his face from all the journalistic attention.

This isn't very bike related except to say that yowch! potholes affect us all.