Motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes in the ACT this year have already shared in more than $43,000 of ACT government compensation pay outs this year, already outstripping the number successful claims made last year.
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The ACT government has paid out 50 pothole damage claims so far in 2022, up from 40 last year and 16 in 2020.
The average claim is worth about $860. The government paid out $39,024.85 in 2020 and has so far paid out $43,148.96 this year.
The Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate's executive branch manager of city operations, Ken Marshall, said in August there were certain circumstances when motorists could make a claim to cover damage as a result of potholes on public roads.
"There are processes by which TCCS will consider those claims and, in some circumstances, some compensation will be paid. But those are, you know, subject to the specific details of each specific case," Mr Marshall told an estimates hearing in August.
Years of wetter than average weather have contributed to a higher than usual number of potholes on the ACT's roads.
More than 200 potholes were reported in the ACT following a week of heavy rain at the start of August, with repair crews tasked with filling the most dangerous in first.
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The average turnaround time from receiving a pothole complaint to fixing it was about 10 business days, Transport Minister Chris Steel said last year. An ACT government spokesperson said at the time they tried to fix "potholes of immediate safety concern" within 48 hours.
Annual budget estimates hearings also last month heard the ACT government was in the process of completing a new audit of road surface condition and had trialled artificial intelligence pothole detection technology on garbage trucks.
Mr Marshall said the system the government had trialled was proprietary technology and if the government wished to use it permanently, there would need to be a procurement process. Mr Marshall said he did not yet have an appraisal of the technology.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
