That's Not A Pothole Silly, That's A "Street Defect"
You learn something new everyday. We'd always been under the impression that holes in the street were potholes and that was that. But apparently not.
No, we live in a great bureaucratic city in which nobody likes to be responsible. And so there are numerous words that can be used to describe a hole in the street and each one implies somebody else's responsibility to fill the hole up. Some "street defects" as defined by the Department of Transportation include:
-POTHOLE: Hole in the street that has a definable bottom surface, such as dirt or gravel.-HUMMOCK: Bump that results when a roadway has been pushed up, usually located at or near busy intersections.
-PONDING CONDITION: Often caused by poor drainage, low point in the roadway or improper grading.
-MANHOLE COVER: The cover can cause damage to pavement – and people – if cracked, missing or placed too far above or below street level.
-STREET HARDWARE: This includes electric vaults and metal plates, and can cause damage if it is cracked, missing or above grade or below grade.
-FAILED OR OLD STREET CUT: Usually a square or rectangular hole made by a contractor. If less than three years old, it must be repaired by the contractor.
-OPEN STREET CUT: Active work site usually marked and operated by a utility company. It should be labeled with a work permit.
-CAVE-IN: Usually jagged hole with a deep void beneath it.
Of course even if you can't tell the difference between a hummock and a cave-in, you should still report "street defects" to 311 or here as a start.
On topic: A classic NY sinkhole, the Pothole Blitz of 2006, how to patch a pothole, and we wish WE Fix NYC was still kicking around.
Pothole from supertremendus' flickr stream.
