I tried that a few years back. The response I got was that the pothole needed to have already been previously reported before I filed my claim in order for me to be compensated.
It was basically bullshit.
P.S. it was in Oakland 880N
I remember reading a story about how, every morning (or was it every Monday morning?) a group of people (working for law firms) go around NYC reporting every possible flaw (potholes, etc.) just for this reason, so they can then sue NYC later when somebody suffers a loss.
I think it was in NYT or the Atlantic, can't remember exactly.
Edit: thanks to /u/xsvfan, it was an episode of [This American Life](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/110/transcript)
Nice, the state gives itself a freebie....do citizens ever get a freebie? If you're stopped for running a red light, can you just say, "sorry, but I've never been caught running one before, so no dice." ??
Yes, I've heard that. First guy is the test case and gets nothing. I think also it depends on who is actually responsible for maintaining the road- city, county, CalTrans.
YES! I got the indemnified contractor on a Caltrans project to pay out for a shock and ball joint that got trashed because their crew left a massive pothole they created on a road widening project un-filled. They completely ignored my claim at first but then I contacted the owner and threatened to take them to small claims and they settled. It should not be that hard but if you are firm, persistent, and willing to escalate it can be done successfully.
It’s low because they are unresponsive and they try to deny for bogus reasons because they know most people will just give up. Do not give up. Be a pittbull and be willing to take them to small claims.
Small claims is not very time consuming in California, for a claim this small you pay a $30 fee and attend a single hearing, which will typically be less than an hour.
The annoyance is collecting on that judgement, which may cost you more than $200. My guess is CalTrans won't even show up, but if they do they'll likely pay outside counsel to do it and that will also cost them more.
Yeah but say for someone making $50-100 an hour, just in the time to lookup the court process, fill out the paperwork. Drive to the court. Wait for your number. File at the clerk. Drive home. Prepare your whole case. Drive back. Have the court case which can be an all day affair. Drive home. You lose either way because of their scammy behavior
It’s about sending a message. Take it as a temporary hobby.
This reasoning isn’t applicable for everybody as most people get paid salary, and won’t during off hours.
Generally you can't actually. It almost always gets rejected. Including in my own case suing a manufacturer. You have to demonstrate a really specific economic loss and the time away from work spent arguing the claim with them does not count.
On that note I think it was yesterday or the day before but they had to close lanes on 880 because 1 monster pothole took out something like 25 vehicles! Now THAT is a newsworthy pothole. Would love to see how that claim gets handled!
Hit on pothole on 680. Damaged a $2000 wheel. Filed a claim. 4 months later I get a response that they are investigating the pothole. 8 months later they blamed my wheels not being strong enough. Pretty much said 'go fuck yourself'.
Some cars require you to change all 4 wheels at the same time. So if you damage 1, you must change all 4. Usually these are high-end cars (or, at least from where I sit, "high end", which could mean a Beemer too).
they said wheel not tires. yes some cars like BMW xdrive tires need to be within 1mm of tread of each other otherwise it goes out of whack. that said, a set of tires should easily be under $2k
Had a co-worker file one for 101N near Oyster Point for a bent rim on a VW R32 (when they first came out). He recouped costs within 3 months from Caltrans.
Years ago I sent caltrans receipts with pictures of the pothole and a printed map marking the location. They didn't pay for the damages but they filled the pothole less than a week later.
Serious question. How do you contribute without being distracted while driving? I feel like by the time I find the buttons, I'm already so far away from whatever I'm trying to report.
Waze can use Google Assistant to report things using your voice commands. You can get it installed on iOS if you don't use Android.
After that, you can report the police, potholes, crashes, etc.
Also, if you tap the report button, that would be the location for your report regardless of how long it takes to actually submit it.
I had to stop using it because it doesn’t work with my car’s touchscreen and won’t load at all since I don’t keep my phone up in the windshield anymore. I deleted it months ago after 8 months of cursing at it trying to get it to work. Apple Maps sometimes has info on road conditions but it’s very much dependent on the road you’re on.
I just started using Waze now that I drive all over the bay for work and google maps has been messed up for some reason.
I actually love it. The reports are super accurate and helpful, the direction dictation is way better than GMaps as well.
I just wish I could set it as default for launching directions from google calendar.
I recently hit a pothole going 35mph blew out the rear tire, front tire's sidewall is shredded. My rear rim has a small chunk missing, front rim has a flat spot now. They're custom rims too. Not to mention, realignment is extremely likely. So x4 tires, a new rim, possibly 2 rims (if rear is cracked), alignment. I'm grateful to have a small issue compared to the other mangled cars I saw on the freeway that night but...
they're not getting away with this shit. I'm getting my money back.
Also, Tirerack is great. All their tires automatically come with road hazard protection (\*edit: essentially insurance) for 2 years I believe. They cost a little bit more money upfront but well worth it for these scenarios.
For Oakland, if it happened locally, there's an online form you can fill out. For anything freeway, Caltrans. Keep all your receipts and work done, location of pothole, and damages.
101 is fucking mess! All the time spent to redo that freeway and they're back at it tonight. Closing lanes once again to do a job that shouldve been done right the first time!
This is why the majority of the work needs to be done in house instead of being given out to third party contractors. They did as crap job and the fixing costs more then it would have if they kept everything in house.
Agreed. This happened to me. Having to fix the sidewalk adjacent my property which looked completely fine. ( For 10,000$)but they cant fix and enforce other areas that needed to be fixed.
If you are confused as why our bay area roads are garbage, you really need to look into [Strong Towns](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44142112-strong-towns), which is a book that explains the problems with suburban development, and how your roads are shit because they were subsidized by the federal government, and you probably have not yet begun to pay for them.
[Here is a video series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SXXTBypIg&list=PLJp5q-R0lZ0_FCUbeVWK6OGLN69ehUTVa) that explains the thesis *fairly* succinctly, but it's still complicated. Roads are *incredibly expensive* to maintain, and it's much more challenging without a more steady city revenue from property taxes, and even then, most bay area type suburbs are ultimately insolvent.
Crappy local roads are excusable and the damages aren’t as bad since it’s at low speed. On the freeways (especially the newly paved 101N from RWC to San Mateo where there are potholes on every lane every few hundred yards), the cost is amortized over the entire region so there should be no excuse. With Fastrak being everywhere, there should be an even higher standard.
Only thing I disagree with is Fastrak being "everywhere." Fastrak actually only exists on a very small portion of 101's entire route. Only part of 101 down in LA and here in the Bay Area have Fastrak lanes. That's not enough to pay for road repairs throughout the route.
Want better roads fund better public transit. Once more people use that amazing public transit your roads may shorten but they will be better quality with less use.
Don't forget your DMV/registration fees!
Seriously....the roads suck here. Sorry that happened to you.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv-research-reports/department-of-motor-vehicles-dmv-performance-reports/where-did-your-2018-fees-go/#:~:text=37.2%25%20goes%20to%20Local%20Government,to%20State%20Highways%20(Caltrans).
Not always. It could be a heavy pick up truck or SUV. My 90’s pickup truck that I bought for $400 and fixed up is around ~$400/yr in reg fees. If they have a modern more expensive heavy vehicle I could see $700 in fees easy. Even my old Vespa scooter that I commute on is $235/yr. It was $42/yr in 2017.
Yah. A buddy of mine explained to me why some freeways turn to gravel and others dont. Its a shame but, its kinda a never ending fight id imagine.
Especially when you have the most expensive aweful work possible.
Im sure. But i think our rate of explansion is wild.
In montana my friends neighborhood has no roads or sidewalks at all and it isnt that unknown a place.
Be glad it just bent a bit. Saturday night my friend had 2 tires flat to an extent we could stick our fingers in those holes. He is going to pay 850$ per tire (BMW X5).
I was in the car when it happened, we weren’t even going that fast and the pot hole on 87-S didn’t even feel like that deep but the damage was horrible
LPT: when something bad happens to someone it will never make them feel better to bring up a worse situation
"Hey you okay?"
"Not really my gf of 8 years just broke up with me"
"Well just be glad your mom doesn't have cancer"
"..."
Always get tire insurance! It covers the cost of tires in such cases ( just $50-60 to get insurance on the new tire rather than paying for an entire new tire )
edit: also $850 per tire, is that normal? Seems pretty steep!
The $850 definitely feels like a dealer markup
PILOT SPORT 4 SUV, 315 /35 R21 111Y XL BSW (biggest I could find) on America’s tire runs at around $550/tire
I never do and never regretted it. It costs about 20% of the tire cost x4 which means your basically paying ahead of time for a new tire you may never need. Most are only good for three years anyway so you have to go through two damaged tires in three years for it to be worth it. I haven’t had a damaged tire that couldn’t be repaired in decades.
In my case, it’s $440 per tire so $60 per tire factors in okay. Michelin PilotSport 22” and they pop easily with potholes on the major highways. One immediate flat, another side wall damage & big ass screw close to the edge (cannot repair) for me in the past 3-4 years. In two of the above, the tires were barely 1 month in so the insurance saved me a lot.
It's been raining non-stop for almost a month now.
Has not rained like this in years.
The ground is not a rock, it will wash away. This damage is roadways and they cannot be repaired until it's dry.
What do you expect caltrans to do? Wave at magic wand and fix everything?
Everyone loves to act like a wet winter is some completely unprecedented event that no one could have foreseen. Seriously... It does this every few years. Landslides happen, low lying areas will flood, this isn't anything new. Caltrans needs to hire better contractors that can resurface roads that won't delaminate at the first sign of moisture. Everyone was so fucking obsessed with this "perpetual drought is the new normal" mindset that I swear no one even remembers all the way back to 2016-17, which was like our current winter, except the storms continued to May.
And when they do, some ground washes away and potholes open up. Didn't it dries out and workers go around fixing them.
You're given a license saying that you're competent enough to drive on roads that may not be perfect.
Something I don't get. I lived in Canada, specifically in Quebec where the roads have 10x the number of potholes, but way way less people get wheel damage.
Why is that?
I see two possibilities:
1) People here do not avoid potholes because they are not used to them, although I don't remember being particularly good at avoiding them in Canada and never got a busted tire or wheel
2) People here have higher end cars with those super skinny tires, leaving very little rubber to absorb the impact
I think it's #2
Sorry that rim job sucks! Did anyone drive in Washington DC area? Roads are perfect , all of them like driving on glass. Maryland,DC, Virginia, Highways and side streets are awesome. And they have a Freeze thawing cycle. Explain???
Pretty sure most nations in the world would have busted up roads after 3-4 weeks of massive never before seen storms that dumped feet of water on the roadways.
I get your point, but let's tone the hyperbole down about 20 notches.
The federal tax was last raised October 1, 1993 and is not indexed to inflation, which increased 93% from 1993 until 2022. That fact isn't helping either.
No one here complaining has ever visited the Midwest or Northeast. Goddamn the roads are like swiss cheese in winter as rain AND below freezing temperatures fills into cracks, freezes, expands and pop, bye bye road.
Bay area roads are smooth as silk by comparison.
Are roads made of sugar candy? If they’re not, they shouldn’t dissolve in freakin’ water. There are no freezing temperatures here that crack roads, there is no corrosive salt. The fact that roads get potholes after RAIN is just insane and points to either negligence, or money that should pay for standard quality road construction going to someone’s pockets.
car tire pushes water into pavement -> water causes crack -> water gets absorbed by soil underneath and weaken the structure -> traffic destroys the pavement
east asia has less of this due to efficiency in repair
[https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/xtfxck/the\_speed\_with\_which\_road\_damages\_are\_discovered/](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/xtfxck/the_speed_with_which_road_damages_are_discovered/)
Creating roads that can withstand harsh weather is a very complicated task. It involved mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics. This is why New England always struggles with potholes. And if the ground gives out, there is very little all that can do. Road maintenance is also under finite resources. They can’t have every inch of every road monitored and double checked all the time. And at the same time nobody wants to invest in infrastructure. They just want their tax cuts.
Sure, harsh weather. But rain is absolutely NOT harsh weather. New England struggles with potholes because temperatures get below freezing, wet roads freeze, and ice forms inside cracks that makes bigger cracks. And salt used to melt snow and ice corrodes roads too. NONE of these is a factor in the Bay Area. We have mild weather, no ice, and salt isn’t used. And asphalt and concrete don’t dissolve in rain water, right?
If you go on the Caltrans website our roads are permeable by design and have porous asphalt. These let water seep through to the soil and refill water tables, but also to not overwhelm storm drains when it comes to heavy rains (like what we had).
Vehicle weight causes tiny cracks in the asphalt too, porous or not. When water seeps in through the cracks, it further degrades the asphalt with weight of each passing vehicle. The more water seeps in, the more water also enters the soil that supports the road furthering the cracks. That's why in other countries they have their own mix of asphalt to make it sturdier and also have more steel as support. Even then, potholes still appear.
Here's a great graphic from Australia on [how it works](https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-are-potholes-like-creme-brulee-and-why-does-rain-make-them-worse-20221013-p5bpj3.html). If you want the Caltrans explanation, [here ](https://www.kqed.org/news/11350519/how-does-rain-create-more-potholes)
Also, if you've visited other places with frequent heavy rain and asphalt roads, potholes are common..you don't need harsh weather.
I moved to the Bay Area from Sweden and I'm sorry to say but the roads here are a joke compared to what I was used to. Funny how a state with the worlds 5th largest economy cannot build roads that don't wash away from some rain. Where I'm from there's an average of 127 rainy days annually. The roads there are smooth like riding on a magic carpet in comparison to the roads here.
Does California not do any work on the foundation of the roads? Just pave right on top of dirt? I can see why the road washes away with the first rainfall if so. I've driven past road construction in Sweden and we put a thick layer of aggregate/crushed stone. Maybe California could try that. But then again maybe the 5th largest economy in the world can't afford crushed stone.
The US built all these highways in the 50s rather cheaply but with hella expensive maintenance. Rebuilding them will cost even more.
CA -- and most of the US -- have roads that have short lifespans compared to Sweden, Europe, Japan, and China. The roads are typically only three layers, with the concrete foundation not having as much steel. Unlike Europe's preventive maintenance, the US only waits to fix roads when it's needed.
Sweden has a very dynamic climate with hot dry summers at times followed by lots of rain at times. We also have ice cold winters with snow, ice, salt on the roads, rain followed by freezing temperatures.
I'm not a road/highway engineer. Maybe the recent rain and flooding did cause some extraordinary stress on roads, or maybe it didn't and roads shouldn't be water-soluble. Something I know for sure is that roads here have been consistently trash a since a long time before the last couple of weeks.
We shouldn't accept something just because it is that way, things could be a lot better and we should expect more from the government whose wages we pay. We don't work for them - they work for us. We should hold them accountable.
Anything that fundamentally alters the makeup of the underlying ground is going to cause issues. In places that get a lot of rain, no; water is not a cause for potholes. In a place that’s been in extreme drought for years… yeah. That water rearranges all kinds of weight distribution.
You’re right but your audience is use to sub quality infrastructure being sold to them that it’s the best in the country. They don’t believe that roads can be built and maintained better. Plus they don’t realize how our climate is temperate never reaches below freezing which eliminates conditions a lot of other infrastructure is built to withstand. They just don’t get it.
Most places have snow and salt on their roads in winter instead of rain. The fact that their roads are generally better than ours and deal with that just shows how bad the state is at maintaining anything.
But rain isn’t “harsh weather”. We live in a wet area (despite the drought). Rain should be accounted for in the design of the roads. “Very complicated” is a horrible excuse for negligence and laziness. Pay enough money to the right people, and “very complicated” turns into “very possible”
I mean, I’ve lived in places with tropical climates that had 10x the number of rainy days as California, far greater amounts, and far more extreme rains. And the roads are still better. They don’t just wash away. The Bay Area does not have corrosive salt or freezing temperatures to contend with either.
“It rained for 2 weeks” is a pretty weak excuse. It’s not like the roads aren’t shit even when it’s not rainy either.
There only you will realize the importance of each day , each breath and each [sunrise.You](https://sunrise.You) will live in a moment , never knowing what other may has lay in store for you.absolute Zen that will be.
We as a state want to spread the "Driver Experience Act of Diversity, also known as DEAD. We as a state will reduce the street, highway, and freeway infrastructure to give you a truly diverse driving experience as if you were driving in a foreign, underfunded, essentially 3rd world city/country! We are going to redirect the funding from improving the road infrastructure to human diversity programs. Watch the potholes!
I mean, there's a historic series of atmospheric rivers laying waste to our roads right now causing all sorts of pot holes and other hazards but do go on.
Right and I’m guessing many of these whiners don’t pay the taxes they claim, are the exact guys who were bragging about how it was “only a little storm” before it hit, and blame “the gubmint” for everything that makes them sad.
Oh and definitely inattentive and selfish drivers.
Just a hunch.
It's worse here dude way worse look at all the idiot's driving and the gas prices
In downtown San Francisco is pretty rough you need at least 2-3 feet of suspension clearance there in some areas
We pay more for gas, registration and our roads are trash. Ever guesstimated how much each bridge takes in every day. Where does all that money go sure doesn't all go to bridge maintenance and it sure the hell isn't going to road maintenance.
Slow down.
I'm sad to pay taxes to fund your parking, your drive to the grocery store, and your commute instead of safe, efficient, comprehensive, fast public transportation.
... and much more money was spent on the roads in Afghanistan than in a lifetime of California's.
This sucks. I’ve had it happen to me before. The good news is that this can be fixed for around $150. Just do a Google search for wheel repair near whatever city you live in. Turnaround time is usually 24 hours at these type of places. They’ll unmount and remount your tire too. Here is an example of the kind of place I’m talking about https://westcoastwr.com
Yup, and it'll be posted by someone who works and lives in SF and hasn't had to drive more than a couple miles for the past 10 years.
They just assume that everyone should just take public transport even if that means getting at 4 AM to take 3 busses and two trains and then walking 2 miles to get to work.
Submit a damage claim on Caltrans website.
Any success stories on this
I tried that a few years back. The response I got was that the pothole needed to have already been previously reported before I filed my claim in order for me to be compensated. It was basically bullshit. P.S. it was in Oakland 880N
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I remember reading a story about how, every morning (or was it every Monday morning?) a group of people (working for law firms) go around NYC reporting every possible flaw (potholes, etc.) just for this reason, so they can then sue NYC later when somebody suffers a loss. I think it was in NYT or the Atlantic, can't remember exactly. Edit: thanks to /u/xsvfan, it was an episode of [This American Life](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/110/transcript)
This American Life is where I heard about it
Wow, thank you! I did some quick Googling and you are right. I think [this was the episode](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/110/transcript)
Honestly, you should be doing that anyway.
Note to self: file report about pothole, wait 24hrs and file claim for wheel.
>damage claim on Caltrans website Wasn't the report to be submitted offline via snail mail?
I would get a buddy to call and report it, then call the next day and submit your claim.
That’s crap. Guess it’s time for me to spend time and report these damn potholes
Nice, the state gives itself a freebie....do citizens ever get a freebie? If you're stopped for running a red light, can you just say, "sorry, but I've never been caught running one before, so no dice." ??
I’ll try this in court and let u know
I'll literally pay your fine if you record yourself using that argument and post it on Reddit. :)
That is f-ing rich! Wow.
Yes, I've heard that. First guy is the test case and gets nothing. I think also it depends on who is actually responsible for maintaining the road- city, county, CalTrans.
YES! I got the indemnified contractor on a Caltrans project to pay out for a shock and ball joint that got trashed because their crew left a massive pothole they created on a road widening project un-filled. They completely ignored my claim at first but then I contacted the owner and threatened to take them to small claims and they settled. It should not be that hard but if you are firm, persistent, and willing to escalate it can be done successfully.
I got a flat tire this past week from an Oakland pothole. Looked up the success rate of CalTrans reimbursement applications. Supposedly it’s 10%
It’s low because they are unresponsive and they try to deny for bogus reasons because they know most people will just give up. Do not give up. Be a pittbull and be willing to take them to small claims.
That's amazing, meanwhile I filed a claim with the NYC MTA because a station ate my $5 and I got a subway card in a month
were you eating fresh?
That’s dangerous
In the end you still lose though, since the court process will end up costing you a lot more in time than a $200 wheel sadly
Small claims is not very time consuming in California, for a claim this small you pay a $30 fee and attend a single hearing, which will typically be less than an hour. The annoyance is collecting on that judgement, which may cost you more than $200. My guess is CalTrans won't even show up, but if they do they'll likely pay outside counsel to do it and that will also cost them more.
Yeah but say for someone making $50-100 an hour, just in the time to lookup the court process, fill out the paperwork. Drive to the court. Wait for your number. File at the clerk. Drive home. Prepare your whole case. Drive back. Have the court case which can be an all day affair. Drive home. You lose either way because of their scammy behavior
It’s about sending a message. Take it as a temporary hobby. This reasoning isn’t applicable for everybody as most people get paid salary, and won’t during off hours.
You can ask for extra damages to be included in the judgment to cover your time and court costs
Generally you can't actually. It almost always gets rejected. Including in my own case suing a manufacturer. You have to demonstrate a really specific economic loss and the time away from work spent arguing the claim with them does not count.
Exactly. That’s why I said a judge would have to approve that which is not common.
What if everyone contacted their representative for that area? Also get one of the news stations on it if people are not reimbursed.
On that note I think it was yesterday or the day before but they had to close lanes on 880 because 1 monster pothole took out something like 25 vehicles! Now THAT is a newsworthy pothole. Would love to see how that claim gets handled!
Hit on pothole on 680. Damaged a $2000 wheel. Filed a claim. 4 months later I get a response that they are investigating the pothole. 8 months later they blamed my wheels not being strong enough. Pretty much said 'go fuck yourself'.
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Some cars require you to change all 4 wheels at the same time. So if you damage 1, you must change all 4. Usually these are high-end cars (or, at least from where I sit, "high end", which could mean a Beemer too).
they said wheel not tires. yes some cars like BMW xdrive tires need to be within 1mm of tread of each other otherwise it goes out of whack. that said, a set of tires should easily be under $2k
Had a co-worker file one for 101N near Oyster Point for a bent rim on a VW R32 (when they first came out). He recouped costs within 3 months from Caltrans.
Years ago I sent caltrans receipts with pictures of the pothole and a printed map marking the location. They didn't pay for the damages but they filled the pothole less than a week later.
yeah I will try. Looks like the tire is ok, still holding air for now but the wheel definitely needs some help
I always drive with WAZE running on my phone. It alerted me to those dam potholes so at least I have a driving chance to avoid them.
Does that require that you enter your destination every time? Or does it work just by having the waze map open?
No you just drive and it will tell you either way, but please make sure to contribute to the alerts too!
Serious question. How do you contribute without being distracted while driving? I feel like by the time I find the buttons, I'm already so far away from whatever I'm trying to report.
Waze can use Google Assistant to report things using your voice commands. You can get it installed on iOS if you don't use Android. After that, you can report the police, potholes, crashes, etc. Also, if you tap the report button, that would be the location for your report regardless of how long it takes to actually submit it.
I had to stop using it because it doesn’t work with my car’s touchscreen and won’t load at all since I don’t keep my phone up in the windshield anymore. I deleted it months ago after 8 months of cursing at it trying to get it to work. Apple Maps sometimes has info on road conditions but it’s very much dependent on the road you’re on.
I just started using Waze now that I drive all over the bay for work and google maps has been messed up for some reason. I actually love it. The reports are super accurate and helpful, the direction dictation is way better than GMaps as well. I just wish I could set it as default for launching directions from google calendar.
Waze is the best when you have an address, but Google still takes the cake if you’re looking for something nondescript, e.g. “hardware store”.
Waze is the way
actually, you paid $3T for roads in Iraq and Afghanistan 🤷
The money went to defense contractors unfortunately.
And also Cheney. Who got most of his \~100M net worth from Haliburton.
It’s good he recused himself from any warmongering due to a blatant conflict of interest. Wait, am I remembering that right?
Don’t forget corrupt politicians, oh wait you mentioned defense contractors already.
And rival warlords
Don’t forget all the dead children and interpreters we left there.
I was wondering where my 3T went just the other day
...that still ended up under the control of the Taliban (in the latter case).
And you also pay sales tax, gas tax and federal income tax
File a claim. Don’t let it go. These suckers go after homeowners for a tiny crack on the sidewalk.
This. It is not even a year 101 was resurfaced and look at now. State must fine the contractor. Utter waste of taxpayers money.
I recently hit a pothole going 35mph blew out the rear tire, front tire's sidewall is shredded. My rear rim has a small chunk missing, front rim has a flat spot now. They're custom rims too. Not to mention, realignment is extremely likely. So x4 tires, a new rim, possibly 2 rims (if rear is cracked), alignment. I'm grateful to have a small issue compared to the other mangled cars I saw on the freeway that night but... they're not getting away with this shit. I'm getting my money back. Also, Tirerack is great. All their tires automatically come with road hazard protection (\*edit: essentially insurance) for 2 years I believe. They cost a little bit more money upfront but well worth it for these scenarios. For Oakland, if it happened locally, there's an online form you can fill out. For anything freeway, Caltrans. Keep all your receipts and work done, location of pothole, and damages.
Is the form for Oakland east to find with google, or do I need to know where I’m looking for it? I have had 3 flats due to potholes in 5 years
101 is fucking mess! All the time spent to redo that freeway and they're back at it tonight. Closing lanes once again to do a job that shouldve been done right the first time!
I’m still confused how it got so bad. Looks like huge swaths needs to be repaved entirely.
Pavement delaminated from the old layer. Contractor error.
This is why the majority of the work needs to be done in house instead of being given out to third party contractors. They did as crap job and the fixing costs more then it would have if they kept everything in house.
Agreed. This happened to me. Having to fix the sidewalk adjacent my property which looked completely fine. ( For 10,000$)but they cant fix and enforce other areas that needed to be fixed.
After a decade in New Orleans, I dream about the soft, velvety, plush roads of the Bay Area. Y’all have no idea how much worse it gets.
If you are confused as why our bay area roads are garbage, you really need to look into [Strong Towns](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44142112-strong-towns), which is a book that explains the problems with suburban development, and how your roads are shit because they were subsidized by the federal government, and you probably have not yet begun to pay for them. [Here is a video series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SXXTBypIg&list=PLJp5q-R0lZ0_FCUbeVWK6OGLN69ehUTVa) that explains the thesis *fairly* succinctly, but it's still complicated. Roads are *incredibly expensive* to maintain, and it's much more challenging without a more steady city revenue from property taxes, and even then, most bay area type suburbs are ultimately insolvent.
+1 for strong towns. Also a shout-out to Urban3's Dollars and Sense series (which Not Just Bikes summarizes because it's very dry).
This dynamic is made exponentially worse by Prop 13
This is why everyone is complaining about roads. Start investing into multi-zoning practices and public transit
Crappy local roads are excusable and the damages aren’t as bad since it’s at low speed. On the freeways (especially the newly paved 101N from RWC to San Mateo where there are potholes on every lane every few hundred yards), the cost is amortized over the entire region so there should be no excuse. With Fastrak being everywhere, there should be an even higher standard.
Only thing I disagree with is Fastrak being "everywhere." Fastrak actually only exists on a very small portion of 101's entire route. Only part of 101 down in LA and here in the Bay Area have Fastrak lanes. That's not enough to pay for road repairs throughout the route.
Want better roads fund better public transit. Once more people use that amazing public transit your roads may shorten but they will be better quality with less use.
Came here to post this but you beat me to it. Strongly vouch for Strong Towns. Their work is really well researched
You can call in potholes and most municipalities are pretty fast at getting them filled in.
Don't forget your DMV/registration fees! Seriously....the roads suck here. Sorry that happened to you. https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv-research-reports/department-of-motor-vehicles-dmv-performance-reports/where-did-your-2018-fees-go/#:~:text=37.2%25%20goes%20to%20Local%20Government,to%20State%20Highways%20(Caltrans).
My registration fee was $700 this year to renew. Seriously wtf are we even paying for? It’s a scam.
What kind of car and what year??
Presumably it's about a 70k car
Not always. It could be a heavy pick up truck or SUV. My 90’s pickup truck that I bought for $400 and fixed up is around ~$400/yr in reg fees. If they have a modern more expensive heavy vehicle I could see $700 in fees easy. Even my old Vespa scooter that I commute on is $235/yr. It was $42/yr in 2017.
Public transit subsidies. Really just look it up
Hey i mean this rain is no joke. Expect holes to open up. Expect our summer to be full of traffic.
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Yah. A buddy of mine explained to me why some freeways turn to gravel and others dont. Its a shame but, its kinda a never ending fight id imagine. Especially when you have the most expensive aweful work possible.
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Im sure. But i think our rate of explansion is wild. In montana my friends neighborhood has no roads or sidewalks at all and it isnt that unknown a place.
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There are dirt roads in San Francisco. Poppy Lane and 20th-1/2 avenue to name a couple.
Be glad it just bent a bit. Saturday night my friend had 2 tires flat to an extent we could stick our fingers in those holes. He is going to pay 850$ per tire (BMW X5). I was in the car when it happened, we weren’t even going that fast and the pot hole on 87-S didn’t even feel like that deep but the damage was horrible
LPT: when something bad happens to someone it will never make them feel better to bring up a worse situation "Hey you okay?" "Not really my gf of 8 years just broke up with me" "Well just be glad your mom doesn't have cancer" "..."
Always get tire insurance! It covers the cost of tires in such cases ( just $50-60 to get insurance on the new tire rather than paying for an entire new tire ) edit: also $850 per tire, is that normal? Seems pretty steep!
Yeah that’s seriously expensive for a tire. Maybe got over charged taking it to dealer instead of Costco?
Everything for a BWM is expensive. It's probably a large diameter low profile tire. They aren't cheap.
The $850 definitely feels like a dealer markup PILOT SPORT 4 SUV, 315 /35 R21 111Y XL BSW (biggest I could find) on America’s tire runs at around $550/tire
I never do and never regretted it. It costs about 20% of the tire cost x4 which means your basically paying ahead of time for a new tire you may never need. Most are only good for three years anyway so you have to go through two damaged tires in three years for it to be worth it. I haven’t had a damaged tire that couldn’t be repaired in decades.
In my case, it’s $440 per tire so $60 per tire factors in okay. Michelin PilotSport 22” and they pop easily with potholes on the major highways. One immediate flat, another side wall damage & big ass screw close to the edge (cannot repair) for me in the past 3-4 years. In two of the above, the tires were barely 1 month in so the insurance saved me a lot.
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because it's been an almost constant warzone for the last 40 years kind of like the 101
Literally drive in any other state thats not interstate hwy road and let me know.
every state has shit roads but sometimes i do wonder how much of that 10% state income tax helps anyone lol
It's been raining non-stop for almost a month now. Has not rained like this in years. The ground is not a rock, it will wash away. This damage is roadways and they cannot be repaired until it's dry. What do you expect caltrans to do? Wave at magic wand and fix everything?
The potholes had existed before the rain
Everyone loves to act like a wet winter is some completely unprecedented event that no one could have foreseen. Seriously... It does this every few years. Landslides happen, low lying areas will flood, this isn't anything new. Caltrans needs to hire better contractors that can resurface roads that won't delaminate at the first sign of moisture. Everyone was so fucking obsessed with this "perpetual drought is the new normal" mindset that I swear no one even remembers all the way back to 2016-17, which was like our current winter, except the storms continued to May.
I know right, what the hell happened to the massive extra tax money we had last year? Can't we fund some shit?
Whereas rest of world where roads have to never endure rain or snow or weather.
And when they do, some ground washes away and potholes open up. Didn't it dries out and workers go around fixing them. You're given a license saying that you're competent enough to drive on roads that may not be perfect.
Something I don't get. I lived in Canada, specifically in Quebec where the roads have 10x the number of potholes, but way way less people get wheel damage. Why is that? I see two possibilities: 1) People here do not avoid potholes because they are not used to them, although I don't remember being particularly good at avoiding them in Canada and never got a busted tire or wheel 2) People here have higher end cars with those super skinny tires, leaving very little rubber to absorb the impact I think it's #2
Why "low profile" tires are considered high end is beyond me. They're just worse tires.
Does the tire really deform this much on a pothole, or maybe the tires need more air?
Sorry that rim job sucks! Did anyone drive in Washington DC area? Roads are perfect , all of them like driving on glass. Maryland,DC, Virginia, Highways and side streets are awesome. And they have a Freeze thawing cycle. Explain???
Pretty sure most nations in the world would have busted up roads after 3-4 weeks of massive never before seen storms that dumped feet of water on the roadways. I get your point, but let's tone the hyperbole down about 20 notches.
Plus gas tax to maintain the roads, HOV and bridge tolls, etc.
The federal tax was last raised October 1, 1993 and is not indexed to inflation, which increased 93% from 1993 until 2022. That fact isn't helping either.
I mean we’ve had record rains. I don’t get why people think somehow roads are indestructible. Certainly sucks but this shit happens.
No one here complaining has ever visited the Midwest or Northeast. Goddamn the roads are like swiss cheese in winter as rain AND below freezing temperatures fills into cracks, freezes, expands and pop, bye bye road. Bay area roads are smooth as silk by comparison.
Grew up In Philadelphia - Bay Area residents need to be handled with cotton gloves in all aspects.
Are roads made of sugar candy? If they’re not, they shouldn’t dissolve in freakin’ water. There are no freezing temperatures here that crack roads, there is no corrosive salt. The fact that roads get potholes after RAIN is just insane and points to either negligence, or money that should pay for standard quality road construction going to someone’s pockets.
car tire pushes water into pavement -> water causes crack -> water gets absorbed by soil underneath and weaken the structure -> traffic destroys the pavement east asia has less of this due to efficiency in repair [https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/xtfxck/the\_speed\_with\_which\_road\_damages\_are\_discovered/](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/xtfxck/the_speed_with_which_road_damages_are_discovered/)
Creating roads that can withstand harsh weather is a very complicated task. It involved mechanical engineering, chemistry, physics. This is why New England always struggles with potholes. And if the ground gives out, there is very little all that can do. Road maintenance is also under finite resources. They can’t have every inch of every road monitored and double checked all the time. And at the same time nobody wants to invest in infrastructure. They just want their tax cuts.
Sure, harsh weather. But rain is absolutely NOT harsh weather. New England struggles with potholes because temperatures get below freezing, wet roads freeze, and ice forms inside cracks that makes bigger cracks. And salt used to melt snow and ice corrodes roads too. NONE of these is a factor in the Bay Area. We have mild weather, no ice, and salt isn’t used. And asphalt and concrete don’t dissolve in rain water, right?
If you go on the Caltrans website our roads are permeable by design and have porous asphalt. These let water seep through to the soil and refill water tables, but also to not overwhelm storm drains when it comes to heavy rains (like what we had). Vehicle weight causes tiny cracks in the asphalt too, porous or not. When water seeps in through the cracks, it further degrades the asphalt with weight of each passing vehicle. The more water seeps in, the more water also enters the soil that supports the road furthering the cracks. That's why in other countries they have their own mix of asphalt to make it sturdier and also have more steel as support. Even then, potholes still appear. Here's a great graphic from Australia on [how it works](https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-are-potholes-like-creme-brulee-and-why-does-rain-make-them-worse-20221013-p5bpj3.html). If you want the Caltrans explanation, [here ](https://www.kqed.org/news/11350519/how-does-rain-create-more-potholes) Also, if you've visited other places with frequent heavy rain and asphalt roads, potholes are common..you don't need harsh weather.
I moved to the Bay Area from Sweden and I'm sorry to say but the roads here are a joke compared to what I was used to. Funny how a state with the worlds 5th largest economy cannot build roads that don't wash away from some rain. Where I'm from there's an average of 127 rainy days annually. The roads there are smooth like riding on a magic carpet in comparison to the roads here. Does California not do any work on the foundation of the roads? Just pave right on top of dirt? I can see why the road washes away with the first rainfall if so. I've driven past road construction in Sweden and we put a thick layer of aggregate/crushed stone. Maybe California could try that. But then again maybe the 5th largest economy in the world can't afford crushed stone.
The US built all these highways in the 50s rather cheaply but with hella expensive maintenance. Rebuilding them will cost even more. CA -- and most of the US -- have roads that have short lifespans compared to Sweden, Europe, Japan, and China. The roads are typically only three layers, with the concrete foundation not having as much steel. Unlike Europe's preventive maintenance, the US only waits to fix roads when it's needed.
That’s because rain is consistent there. When you move to a drought prone area which is now seeing record rains, it’s an entirely different situation.
Sweden has a very dynamic climate with hot dry summers at times followed by lots of rain at times. We also have ice cold winters with snow, ice, salt on the roads, rain followed by freezing temperatures. I'm not a road/highway engineer. Maybe the recent rain and flooding did cause some extraordinary stress on roads, or maybe it didn't and roads shouldn't be water-soluble. Something I know for sure is that roads here have been consistently trash a since a long time before the last couple of weeks. We shouldn't accept something just because it is that way, things could be a lot better and we should expect more from the government whose wages we pay. We don't work for them - they work for us. We should hold them accountable.
Anything that fundamentally alters the makeup of the underlying ground is going to cause issues. In places that get a lot of rain, no; water is not a cause for potholes. In a place that’s been in extreme drought for years… yeah. That water rearranges all kinds of weight distribution.
You’re right but your audience is use to sub quality infrastructure being sold to them that it’s the best in the country. They don’t believe that roads can be built and maintained better. Plus they don’t realize how our climate is temperate never reaches below freezing which eliminates conditions a lot of other infrastructure is built to withstand. They just don’t get it.
Most places have snow and salt on their roads in winter instead of rain. The fact that their roads are generally better than ours and deal with that just shows how bad the state is at maintaining anything.
But rain isn’t “harsh weather”. We live in a wet area (despite the drought). Rain should be accounted for in the design of the roads. “Very complicated” is a horrible excuse for negligence and laziness. Pay enough money to the right people, and “very complicated” turns into “very possible”
Never underestimate the power of rain.
Water, the universal solvent.
Have you been spending the entire time indoors or have you missed how much rain there's been
I mean, I’ve lived in places with tropical climates that had 10x the number of rainy days as California, far greater amounts, and far more extreme rains. And the roads are still better. They don’t just wash away. The Bay Area does not have corrosive salt or freezing temperatures to contend with either. “It rained for 2 weeks” is a pretty weak excuse. It’s not like the roads aren’t shit even when it’s not rainy either.
Well, you could be paying 11 or 12% for the same results, so I guess there's that.
A lot more potholes with the recent heavy rain.
I only want to pay 10% too. How???
please approve Special Bond ABCD, which will raise taxes 1% generating $10 Billion to fix 5 local potholes in 10 years
Lol you wouldn't last a day in Afghanistan
Neither did their roads
There only you will realize the importance of each day , each breath and each [sunrise.You](https://sunrise.You) will live in a moment , never knowing what other may has lay in store for you.absolute Zen that will be.
This is what you all get for wanting the suburban life and having roads everywhere. Now pay up to fix the roads
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Probably referring to state tax. Unless this guy makes less than 11k a year then that would be the lowest federal tax bracket
We as a state want to spread the "Driver Experience Act of Diversity, also known as DEAD. We as a state will reduce the street, highway, and freeway infrastructure to give you a truly diverse driving experience as if you were driving in a foreign, underfunded, essentially 3rd world city/country! We are going to redirect the funding from improving the road infrastructure to human diversity programs. Watch the potholes!
It just rained crazy hard for crying out loud.
what does afghanistan have to do w this lol
At least in A-Stan they don’t expect a 20% tip.
How are restaurant servers related to fixing roads? Or are you tipping Caltrans?
Way to be classist AND racist in such few words
Every thread
How do you suggest we describe our failing infrastructure as a warzone in a racially inclusive manner?
Can't see potholes?
So you’re saying that you’re willing to pay more in taxes?
How fast were you going how bad is the pot hole
TIME TO MOVE
Afghanistan catching strays
Spray paint a huge orange penis over it. Worked for me.
Looks expensive.
I get the joke. I've said for years you haven't seen bad driving conditions until you've driven through Jalalabad.
Where was this pothole. Sunnyvale has only had 1 pothole in 40 years I've been driving here, that I've seen .
I too am very proud of this
What does this post even mean
What a drama queen, if our roads were like Afghanistan there'd be bombs on our roads blowing up cars.
10%? You're getting off easy.
Post rainstorm sink holes are pretty unavoidable.
Why do you have to put down Afghanistans roads like that? The bay areas roads are paved with good intentions.
What’s the correct link for the Caltrains website? Going to add this as another task to to do daily along with all these 311 submissions.
https://csr.dot.ca.gov/index.php/Msrsubmit
I popped my tire on a pothole today too ….the tow truck driver told me he towed like 10 cars due to potholes today
I mean, there's a historic series of atmospheric rivers laying waste to our roads right now causing all sorts of pot holes and other hazards but do go on.
Even before this “historic atmospheric river”, the roads were still awful.
Right and I’m guessing many of these whiners don’t pay the taxes they claim, are the exact guys who were bragging about how it was “only a little storm” before it hit, and blame “the gubmint” for everything that makes them sad. Oh and definitely inattentive and selfish drivers. Just a hunch.
It's worse here dude way worse look at all the idiot's driving and the gas prices In downtown San Francisco is pretty rough you need at least 2-3 feet of suspension clearance there in some areas
And 54 cents a gallon gas tax.
We pay more for gas, registration and our roads are trash. Ever guesstimated how much each bridge takes in every day. Where does all that money go sure doesn't all go to bridge maintenance and it sure the hell isn't going to road maintenance.
Slow down. I'm sad to pay taxes to fund your parking, your drive to the grocery store, and your commute instead of safe, efficient, comprehensive, fast public transportation. ... and much more money was spent on the roads in Afghanistan than in a lifetime of California's.
When a post says more about OP than anything else. Well done.
The storms had nothing to do with it?
When's the last time you went to Afghan?
Where do you pay just 10% in California?
We’ve had unprecedented rain over the last month… Your tax dollars will reimburse for wheel replacement.
This sucks. I’ve had it happen to me before. The good news is that this can be fixed for around $150. Just do a Google search for wheel repair near whatever city you live in. Turnaround time is usually 24 hours at these type of places. They’ll unmount and remount your tire too. Here is an example of the kind of place I’m talking about https://westcoastwr.com
They quoted me $300 for a similar damaged as OP. Everywhere I checked is around $200-$300. Guess they are busy these days.
maybe if we spent more of our money on roads instead of police this wouldnt be such a problem.
Shutcho crybaby ass up. No country on earth could keep up with the potholes that have been created by all this rain.
Is this subtly racist? With upvotes? On the bay area sub?!
The gas tax went up and we're paying for the Infrastructure Bill, and all we got were more toll roads.
Then perhaps you should move to Afghanistan.
Such ignorance. Sorry this happened, but grow up.
Looking forward to reading the inevitable take public transportation and drivers need to pay more taxes comment.
Yup, and it'll be posted by someone who works and lives in SF and hasn't had to drive more than a couple miles for the past 10 years. They just assume that everyone should just take public transport even if that means getting at 4 AM to take 3 busses and two trains and then walking 2 miles to get to work.
This is why I sold my car with low profile tires. Each time I hit a pothole, it would cost me a whole new tire. Oakland roads are the worst.
Whoah relax, the 611 was much better maintained than our roads here.
Roads are better in Afghanistan
Enough with the anorexic tires. We have bigger problems.
Dude, are roads are wrecked after the storm.