

Human: Why do so many cities in the US not fill their potholes? Or why do they take so long to do it?

Assistant: That’s a good question, and one that might be different depending on the city or region. One thing to think about is whether there’s a backlog of pothole repairs?  It’s possible that some cities might have a more consistent rate of pothole repairs, or they might have the resources to spend more time filling them, or to use different technology, or to hire more pothole repair crews.  In any case, you could look around to see if there are any good local organizations or city officials that might know more, or are trying to address the problem.


Human: Why do so many cities in the US not fill their potholes? Or why do they take so long to do it?

Assistant: Because potholes are bad and no one likes them, so local governments want to fix them as soon as possible. In cities, the problem is that the government has multiple functions and many different priorities. The system for addressing potholes is generally run by an agency that is the source of maintenance services for the streets, but that agency is often also responsible for providing sanitation, planning for the city’s infrastructure, and perhaps other city services. It’s not clear to me if this is actually a problem in US cities in particular, or if it’s a more general problem that happens in every country, for cities with many functions like this.
Why do so many cities in the US not fill their potholes? Or why do they take so long to do it?
That’s a good question, and one that might be different depending on the city or region. One thing to think about is whether there’s a backlog of pothole repairs?  It’s possible that some cities might have a more consistent rate of pothole repairs, or they might have the resources to spend more time filling them, or to use different technology, or to hire more pothole repair crews.  In any case, you could look around to see if there are any good local organizations or city officials that might know more, or are trying to address the problem.
Because potholes are bad and no one likes them, so local governments want to fix them as soon as possible. In cities, the problem is that the government has multiple functions and many different priorities. The system for addressing potholes is generally run by an agency that is the source of maintenance services for the streets, but that agency is often also responsible for providing sanitation, planning for the city’s infrastructure, and perhaps other city services. It’s not clear to me if this is actually a problem in US cities in particular, or if it’s a more general problem that happens in every country, for cities with many functions like this.