Driving on the roads has probably been my greatest pastime since I was very young. It is also where I feel most at ease: I observe landscapes, anomalies and issues.
My brain is always looking for something; it needs to be constantly occupied. Being on the road relaxes me and, at the same time, keeps this brain busy, since it is always asking for more.
With a solid background in traffic maintenance, my brain takes note of different things while I drive. I inspect construction sites, lighting systems, pavement markings, roadside signage, structures... it amuses me, relaxes me and, above all, makes me feel in my element.
Over time, I have noticed several shortcomings, and I wonder how all this could have gotten to this point. Whether it is pavement markings completely worn away in the middle of August, expansion joints that thump harder than a curb, year-round potholes, or non-compliant roadside signage that has been in place for decades.
So my first question is quite simple: “Why?!?”
The second would be: “Do we have operational planning in Quebec?”
I have no political allegiance, so I am not looking for someone to blame. Answers like “it was the previous government that did not invest... that did not know how to carry out maintenance... blah blah blah...” In short, I am not interested in lame excuses.
What truly interests me as a “citizen” is:
“What can we concretely do to make things better?”
Our roads are in terrible condition compared with other Canadian provinces (the Maritime provinces and Ontario). I do not think this is related to our calls for tenders and the awarding of contracts. Our roadside signage is often hidden by trees, or else the sheeting no longer even provides retroreflectivity. Our road markings have become partially worn away to completely worn away across a large part of the network.
We have several road inspectors (let’s just say I see more of them in Quebec than in Ontario, New Brunswick or even Nova Scotia). But I still wonder, as a “taxpayer.” Is the ministry aware of all these deficiencies across the network? For example, does it know that part of the pavement is completely missing at the end of structure P-09755W in the left lane just before the expansion joint?
Even if I send an email or fill out their complaint form, I know I will receive a canned response like “We are aware of the situation”...
I believe the ministry should be a little more transparent about its activities, follow-ups and various upcoming operations. It might perhaps restore a little “confidence” in the ministry among citizens, who do not all understand that we have a very extensive road network (and that it is surely very difficult to monitor properly).
So I created a tool to produce this type of report, because my brain constantly needs a project and this is a field I know well and in which I feel at home.
My professional fantasy would clearly be to have a contract with the ministry to audit Quebec’s road network and use my software to submit it all.
Mission impossible = challenge possible!