Facebook has been the genisis of some unconventional behaviour and ideas. Case in point; the recent development of an online presence for a pothole at the corner of Hotel Lake and Sinclair Bay Roads, in normally peaceful Garden Bay. As of March 23, the social media page “hotellakehole” has been “liked” and “followed” by 38 Facebook users, yours truly included.
My Facebook use is mostly limited to reading about what other people are doing and posting rarely about myself. I’ve been a “follower” of Garden Bay’s most recent online semi-celebrity for a couple of weeks now. The page states “hole” (as I refer to it as I believe we have established a bond, as much as that is possible in the virtual universe) joined Facebook March 12. I’m showing some love, in hopes that kind of support for the Hotel Lake Road divot will stand me and my car from the wrath of it’s pothole relatives that have spawned elsewhere on the Coast. So far so good, no lost hubcaps or car undercarriage damage, but the pothole season is still young. My view is that following a pothole is better than hitting one.
Hoping other Coast drivers have been equally as lucky. If you believe in karma, maybe a “like” on the Facebook site will keep you safe and damage free until road repairs get made. Maybe it's time to create a social media presence for other potholes that want and potentially deserve more public attention.
In its profile, hotellakehole shares its focus on “living its best life," “meeting new people and interacting with the community” since it got established in the Harbour in Nov. 2021.
Most likely recall that the Coast and much of southern B.C. experienced an atmospheric weather event during that month that wreaked havoc on road infrastructure, washing away sections of major highways and smaller sideroads. Flooding, landslides and erosion impacted driving surfaces throughout the region. Potholes developed on Coast roads even faster than normal and those in charge of road maintenance seem to have been unable to keep up with addressing them. That was evidenced by a comment made by our local MLA last month during an online meeting. He stated he had “never seen the road [referring to Highway 101] in worse condition.”
A photo and a short article about the hole was part of our Feb. 26 edition. Those details are featured on the Facebook page, along with creative postings gathered from worldwide sources. Included are links to a report on the work of rocker Rod Stewart in volunteer road repair and examples of other potholes from the Coast and a monster-sized one from California.
In writing the Feb. 26 coverage, I spoke with Capilano Highway Services, who explained at that time, a lack of road repair material and heavy workloads meant that pothole repair in Garden Bay and other areas would take a few weeks. On my drive from Pender to our offices in Sechelt this morning, roadside information signage alerted me to upcoming re-paving and repair work on Highway 101 in the Trout Lake area. That is likely a very welcome sign to drivers who regularly travel that route and is a harbinger of hope that pothole repair season is arriving soon on the Coast.
Let’s get ready to show our appreciation to repair crews with some friendly waves and healthy respect for all when travelling through road construction zones. In the meantime, drive safely and I recommend checking our “hotellakehole” on Facebook for some comic relief while you wait for pothole repairs in your area of the Coast.
