Like many northeastern cities, the end of winter in Philadelphia means the start of a new season.
And no, we’re not talking about Spring.
It’s pothole season in the city, and drivers around Temple University’s campus are not too pleased with the road conditions.
Susan McGlauglin is a community sales representative who spends her days driving around North Philadelphia.
“No matter where I go, main roads, side roads, the potholes are horrendous,” McGlauglin said.
One student who lives on campus said he won’t drive around campus because he’s afraid of ruining his car.
“The citizens are frustrated. You know, it’s difficult to drive. I know people that come down here and they bring their cars and their cars don’t move because they’re terrified to drive,” said Irving Jean-Baptiste, senior.
The Philadelphia Streets Department said that winter weather makes it difficult for crews to fix the streets because they’re too busy salting for storms. Therefore, when spring comes around, the potholes are much more abundant than any other season.
The Department says that they’ve filled 17,126 potholes since January 1st, 2015.
Still, residents say they aren’t seeing too much of a difference.
“I took my eyes off the road for a second and boom. I mean hit hard. It made me nervous because I thought, boy, did I just damage my car,” said McGlauglin.
One North Philadelphia resident said she feels as if this is just another issue where the city government is neglecting her neighborhood.
“You know we get used to it; we can adapt, just roll with the punches,” said Marcia Stratton.
Jean-Baptiste, however, said he wants to see action.
“With all the money being pumped into the city, they still haven’t found a way to finance the fixing of the potholes.”
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