By Fiona Ricker
fiona@newsroom.byu.edu
Fixing a pothole is now as easy as clicking a mouse for Orem residents.
The city of Orem has made a pothole patching request form accessible on its Web site, allowing citizens to submit the location of potholes in need of repair.
This will help the city communicate more effectively with the public, said Stan Orme, street section manager for the city of Orem.
'We don't go down every street every day, so it's kind of hard for us to know what's out there. If the public sees a pothole we're unaware of, they can let us know,' Orme said.
When a pothole location is submitted, the Street Department will respond to the patching request within 48 hours when possible, filling the gap with asphalt.
Potholes damage vehicles driven through them, as well as delivering quite a jolt to passengers.
Depressions in the street can cause erratic steering and uneven wear on tires, among other problems.
The Car Care Council advises drivers to apply the brakes before hitting the pothole, releasing them during impact. If they remain depressed, the tire slams into the pothole, rather than rolling over it.
Citizens are enthusiastic about the opportunity to notify officials of potholes that may otherwise escape attention.
'In the spring, driving the streets of Orem and Provo can be like driving in a racecourse full of craters,' said Mark Smith, manager of Interlibrary Loan at the Harold B. Lee Library.
Potholes are not a big problem, but they are a priority to fix, Orme said.
The pothole patching request form helps the city to take care of these problems quickly.
'It's an intelligent and efficient way of addressing the pothole problem,' Smith said.
The patching request form is found at www.orem.org.