A pothole adventure
March 3rd, 2008 at 03:49pm Anna Derocher
It’s a story we do every year. You know the one. Potholes. We’ve asked you to tell the governor if you want your roads fixed. We’ve published a number of stories.
Today, we published this video. Reporter Sadie Gurman and multimedia artist Billy Kulpa hit Rockford’s streets to show us just how bad (or not) Rockford’s roads were. The pair had fun and put a new twist on a timeless story.
Watch to the end. Trust me.
Entry Filed under: Video storytelling, Potholes
2 Comments Add your own
1. Jason Cox | March 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Excellent video! I used to live in Rockford (and worked at the Register Star!), but I had completely forgotten about the road conditions there. I live in Arizona now. Thankfully, poor road maintenance is a thing of the past for me. Arizona drivers are lucky in that our roads are in better shape. This is mostly due to the lack of inclement weather lending to their disintegration (of course, you may consider 115 degree summers “inclement”).
One piece of the clip that particularly resonating with me was that “most Rockford drivers are getting used to it by now.” Sadly, that’s a very true statement. I now remember my passive grumbling about the treacherous commute to and from work. Potholes, poorly plowed roads, salt corrosion, flooded intersections, and excessively reactionary drivers made my 8 mile journey an interesting one. My current situation (35 miles of gridlock in car that feels more like an oven) is quit tame in comparison. It’s amazing what we subject ourselves to, but it’s even more amazing that a vital part of a city’s infrastructure can fall into such disrepair simply because we would rather deal with a slight annoyance than show up to a city counsel meeting to voice our frustrations. Consequently, little by little our dissatisfaction dissolves and we succumb to accepting the perilous commute. Inevitably the road will become too dangerous or the right people (those willing to take issue) will effect change. Then a new grievance arises…road repair. Once again the resentment will invariably turn to acceptance. I know the feelings all too well, and the thinking is always the same. I’m not going to do anything except complain to my friends, family, and coworkers; I’ll probably take a different route if possible; and/or I’ll get used to it.
It kind of makes me wonder though…
If we’re mostly all willing to allow obstructions in our daily lives without taking any action, how is there any hope for the larger issues?
I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m standing on a soapbox. It was merely a light bulb moment for me.
Go RiverHawks!
2. Anna Voelker | March 4th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Jason,
Thanks for the comment. Great points. Didn’t feel like you were on a soapbox.
Long time, no talk. Hope all is well in Arizona.
Glad you liked the video, too. Sadie and Billy certainly had fun with that.
Anna
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