The Government should prioritise improving the quality of Bermuda’s roads, urged the taxi association.

Dennis Furbert, the president of the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operators Association, said the cost of repairing damage caused by potholes was cutting into the operating budgets of taxi drivers and dealerships were running out of parts to fix vehicles.

Mr Furbert said on behalf of his members: “We are having great difficulty with the uneven surfaces and potholes. It’s costing us a lot of money on the replacement of parts for our steering and suspension along with tyres being changed every three to four months.

“Our mechanics say that it's due to the poor road conditions that we must keep replacing tie rods, tyres, bushings and steering racks. There have been some similar complaints with maintenance needed to suspension and front stabiliser links.

“In most cases now the dealerships have run out of the parts and we have to wait to replace them so that leaves us off the road or out of pocket on a daily basis.”

Mr Furbert said that the Government should make fixing potholes a priority.

He said: “This problem cuts into our operational costs and keeping our taxis on the road in safe conditions. We believe the Government has shown that it is a priority by allowing Belco and all others benefiting from the trenching to continue their work with the hope that it will be complete in the three years advised and repaving large sections of our roads can continue. The motoring public was notified of the work and has been kept informed.”

Asked if he believed the potholes posed a hazard to the motoring public, he added: “The potholes may have caused a few motorists to lose control of their vehicles, however, there is a considerable decline in care and courtesy on our streets and failure to drive the speed limit. Leaving enough space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you is key to reducing crashes as is leaving home with enough time to reach your destination.”

The problem of potholes has been compounded by ongoing periods of torrential rain since about May 22.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, recently said his ministry was aware of the impact the rain was having on the roads and teams were working “diligently” to repair the damage.

The month of May was the wettest May in 74 years, as recorded by the Bermuda Weather Service, and rainfall in June is expected to be above average.

Michelle Pitcher, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said the normal amount of rainfall for the month of June was 4.41 inches, and as of 9am on Monday, 5.43 inches had been recorded.

She said: “Various weather systems continue to pass near or pass through our area, bringing showers, rain, and the occasional thunderstorm.

“It is unusual for this time of year as by now we normally are under the western extent of the Bermuda-Azores high pressure system. High pressure supports sunny and dry conditions.”

Police said that there were 282 collisions between April 1 and June 13.

A spokesman said the figures were “normal” and that there was no indication at this time that they involved potholes.

He added: “The BPS are also aware of the Ministry of Public Works’ ongoing efforts to address potholes, including a dedicated e-mail address for members of the public to report them.

“Once again, the BPS urge the motoring public to slow down. Driving and riding at faster speeds reduces the time motorists have to respond to any traffic congestion or road issues.

“Also, motorists should always give their full attention to driving and riding. Tired and distracted driving or riding is dangerous. Finally, we renew our appeal to residents to make responsible decisions while travelling on the island’s roads, which includes not driving or riding intoxicated.”

Dennis Lister III, the chairman of the Bermuda Road Safety Council, could not be reached.

Members of the public can report potholes to the Ministry of Public Works at potholes@gov.bm

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