From mypotholes.com (New York)

The last pothole you hit always feels like the worst pothole. Councillor Paul Ainslie wants to harness that feeling by helping Torontonians report the pothole that wronged them on a website.

There’s no doubt a measure like this would prove popular. The running tally of repaired potholes will help citizens feel like their plaintive cries to 311 are being answered. Ainslie also wants to include a picture of a daily pothole, giving holes their glory. Similar initiatives exist in New York City (run by the Department of Transportation) and the UK — both of which provide internet catharsis for those feeling pothole pain.

But aren’t we missing out on something? We could be using these websites to really help us understand potholes, instead of just lashing out against them.

In Ottawa, Kate Hunt, a cycling blogger, developed a rating system to give potholes their due. She awards points for “Intensity, Complexity and Size.” Hunt’s system recognizes that some potholes aren’t just a single crack, rather they are a network of holes working together to impersonate the mouth of hell.

Once we understand potholes, we can appreciate their beauty. Davide Luciano and Claudia Ficca turned car-killing chasms into cheeky photos with their MyPotholes series, featuring Montreal, Los Angeles, New York and, yes, Toronto.

If you’re an unrepentant pothole fighter: you can always try your luck suing the city.

From mypotholes.com (Montreal)