Letters: From pothole to pothole we go

Re “L.A. full of roads to ruin for cars,” May 5

As The Times reports, public funds dedicated to Los Angeles’ road maintenance this year total an all-time high of $105 million — about $42 per registered vehicle in the city.

But that’s a small fraction of what each driver must pay because roads aren’t maintained in good condition. According to a recent report in The Times, each California driver pays $586, on average, for damages his or her car sustains from roads not being maintained in good condition.

In lamenting ill-maintained roadways, the adage about postponed maintenance applies: You can pay a little now, or pay a lot more later. Somehow this notion never seems to be considered when weighing tax increases.

Gene Martinez

Orcutt, Calif.

The Los Angeles City Council considered asking voters to pass a $3 billion bond for street repair (there’s a 60-year backlog in the city). However, what was missing from the article was any mention of the effects of speeding up street construction using asphalt, a cheap, oil-based product.

Repairing and resurfacing so many streets in Los Angeles using asphalt may conflict with the city’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Residents who smell the fumes all across L.A. could face health consequences.

This will be a catch-22 for future City Council members and the next mayor.

Leon Furgatch

Granada Hills

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