Be happy; it’s road construction time…still!
After more than a decade of road works and repairs outside his business, one Winnipeg, Canada, resident told World Highways that enough is enough.
“I’ve got no malice towards the contractors,” Gordon Partridge told World Highways. “Contractors are simply where they are told to be. It’s the city officials. The left hand doesn‘t always know what the right hand is doing.”
What he has is “ambivalence and frustration at the situation”. As the health centre owner and chiropractor explains, “there’s two seasons here in Winnipeg – winter and pothole season”. The city’s nickname is Winterpeg, “so there is always some road work going on in this city. Road repair work around here is like white noise. It’s always present in the city”.
Rather than rant and rave at city administration officials, Partridge, owner of the chiropractic business Spectrum Health, erected a sign outside his office amid the construction work. It reads, “Celebrating a decade of construction at Portage and Maryland”.
The large sign stands out at the intersection of two of the city’s busiest streets and also has his office phone number on it. Since the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently aired a television news report on the situation, Partridge says he has had hundreds of calls from the rest of Canada and across the United States supporting his move. Twitter and Facebook support has mushroomed.
One day this month, the entire building started shaking because contractors had jackhammers working just outside the front door for hours. In the past year alone, Partridge says the road has been ripped up for sewer, water, electricity, pathway and road repairs. That doesn’t leave much other excuse. Nonetheless, he received a note from the contractors saying work will continue for another three months.
What he hasn’t had is any call from city officials to acknowledge the situation. An apology wouldn’t go amiss, either, he says.
Yet, he is lucky, he claims. “I feel sorry for the owners of many small businesses, such as restaurants, whose clients might not want to wade through site debris. Partridge says many of his clients are determined to push through the barricades and walk muddy sections to reach his practice. But there have been mobility issues for some people, such as wheelchair users.
“Have I lost business? There is no way to tell. But for every client who tells you they are not coming in, there might be 10 who don’t tell you. Even McDonald’s restaurant, opposite us, came over with a box of muffins as an apology for any inconvenience that some repair work to their adjacent pavement might cause us.”
Partridge has some advice for World Highways readers. “A little consideration makes the world go around,” he says. “The city should hire some nice people who will take the time to phone you up and explain to you what is going on.”
If this doesn’t happen, maybe a sign will help.
A CBC television report on the situation is available by <%$Linker:2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal clicking here Visit CBC Website false http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/portage-maryland-construction-sign-1.3600562 false false %>.
“I’ve got no malice towards the contractors,” Gordon Partridge told World Highways. “Contractors are simply where they are told to be. It’s the city officials. The left hand doesn‘t always know what the right hand is doing.”
What he has is “ambivalence and frustration at the situation”. As the health centre owner and chiropractor explains, “there’s two seasons here in Winnipeg – winter and pothole season”. The city’s nickname is Winterpeg, “so there is always some road work going on in this city. Road repair work around here is like white noise. It’s always present in the city”.
Rather than rant and rave at city administration officials, Partridge, owner of the chiropractic business Spectrum Health, erected a sign outside his office amid the construction work. It reads, “Celebrating a decade of construction at Portage and Maryland”.
The large sign stands out at the intersection of two of the city’s busiest streets and also has his office phone number on it. Since the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently aired a television news report on the situation, Partridge says he has had hundreds of calls from the rest of Canada and across the United States supporting his move. Twitter and Facebook support has mushroomed.
One day this month, the entire building started shaking because contractors had jackhammers working just outside the front door for hours. In the past year alone, Partridge says the road has been ripped up for sewer, water, electricity, pathway and road repairs. That doesn’t leave much other excuse. Nonetheless, he received a note from the contractors saying work will continue for another three months.
What he hasn’t had is any call from city officials to acknowledge the situation. An apology wouldn’t go amiss, either, he says.
Yet, he is lucky, he claims. “I feel sorry for the owners of many small businesses, such as restaurants, whose clients might not want to wade through site debris. Partridge says many of his clients are determined to push through the barricades and walk muddy sections to reach his practice. But there have been mobility issues for some people, such as wheelchair users.
“Have I lost business? There is no way to tell. But for every client who tells you they are not coming in, there might be 10 who don’t tell you. Even McDonald’s restaurant, opposite us, came over with a box of muffins as an apology for any inconvenience that some repair work to their adjacent pavement might cause us.”
Partridge has some advice for World Highways readers. “A little consideration makes the world go around,” he says. “The city should hire some nice people who will take the time to phone you up and explain to you what is going on.”
If this doesn’t happen, maybe a sign will help.
A CBC television report on the situation is available by <%$Linker:
