I am fortunate to have a job that takes me and my truck to all four corners of our county, and doing so, I run over the same bumps annoyingly day after day. Most seem to be the result of frost heaves, old age, trenches for utilities, weakness in the road edges, and the like.

I’m sure there are countless other causes, but the ones I write about are often caused by intentional excavation to access and improve our water, drainage and sewer lines. There’s no doubt about it; we need to keep all of these systems working at top notch.

My complaint is not the inevitable bump itself following the patch in the asphalt. What annoys me is that the bump becomes a permanent fixture, side effect on the road. Of course, the longer it stays in place, the easier it is to remember to swerve to avoid it.

I wonder, though, why the contractor should not be required to do the repairs promptly at his/hers expense just as if the plumber left a leaking pipe after their job is completed. Ah, life’s little annoyances!

Tim Hollander

Middlebury