Residents of the Lakes District have channelled many of their complaints about highway conditions into a Facebook group called

The group, which has 678 members at the time of writing, is meant as a place where residents can put their complaints (and praise), so it can be compiled and used to improve road safety.

Trina Dawson, one of the group鈥檚 administrators, said in a February 15 post that the point of the group wasn鈥檛 to bash the regional highway maintenance company, Lakes District Maintenance (LDM), but to keep a record of issues on the road.

鈥淗ighways safety to the lowest bidder is just not working,鈥� said Dawson. 鈥淭he more you guys post about the road maintenance, the more we will have to push for change.鈥�

She added that positive feedback about road maintenance can also help create a model for good highway service.

Many of the group鈥檚 members posted complaints about snow clearing operations. In one March 1 post, a member posted photos showing a snow-covered stretch of Highway 16, writing:鈥淲hat is wrong with this picture?鈥�

Another member wrote that an LDM grader had pushed pile of snow in front of the driveway of her home. She was home at the time and was able to clear the snow, but otherwise it would have been impossible to get past the pile and enter her home, she wrote.

鈥淸T]his would鈥檝e compromised my safety when turning in my driveway and left my car sitting on the side of the highway, in the lane, in a snowstorm while I cleared the berm,鈥� she wrote.

But members have also posted positive feedback about the company鈥檚 performance, thanking LDM workers for clearing snow on their streets.

More recently, the group has featured the feedback about the company鈥檚 handling of flooding, including road closures for repairs to washed-out roads.

One resident said LDM needs a better system on its website for announcing problems on the road. 鈥淟DM needs a page on their website that we can access that advises of upcoming closures and delays on all the roads they maintain,鈥� the member wrote.

Mike Philips, quality assurance and planning manager at LDM, said that he鈥檚 aware of the group and the complaints of members. 鈥淥ur crews are out there and they鈥檙e working as hard and as fast as they can on things,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur goal is to get the roads open and safe as fast as we can.鈥�

He urged people with complaints to call LDM鈥檚 toll-free number at any time of day if they have a complaint, and said that a company official would call back if requested.

Lakes District 亚洲天堂 also asked the Philip about stiffer highway regulations recently announced by the provincial transportation ministry 鈥� which are being rolled out this year as maintenance contracts across the province come up for renewal, including in the Lakes District.

Those regulations include provisions requiring contractors to carry out more frequent patrols on highways during major weather events and to treat highways with anti-ice chemicals before weather events occur.

Philip declined to comment about those new regulations, saying that the company is currently involved in negotiations and that any questions had to be directed to the provincial ministry of transportation.