The Pothole Bandit

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Courtesy \TMP of Crankmail 

Some folks plant trees in the spring; others do it in the fall. Bruce Ploof had never planted trees before, so he took a middle-of-the-road approach. 

He planted them in the middle of the road. 

Ploof did this to protest the number of potholes in Burlington Vt., after an ambulance hit one and broke and axle. So, one Wednesday night in June, the 28-year-old taxi driver screwed up his courage and filled each of three of the city's biggest cavities with a 3-foot spruce. 

He waited until the bars closed to plant the trees, and he placed a blinking light barricade in front of each one. Signs warned "Potholes of Burlington, Beware. (Signed) The Pothole Bandit." 

The act put Burlington on the map. The New York Times ran the story, so did the Boston Globe, Washington Post, Stars and Stripes and the National Enquirer. Morton Dean mentioned The Great Pothole Caper on the Cable News Network, and a national gardening magazine took pictures. 

Two days later, a Burlington disc jockey managed a telephone hookup between the still anonymous bandit and the local police chief. On the air, they decided to meet at Perkins Pier at High Noon, as the radio station played "The Good, The Bad, and They Ugly". 
Bandit: "I'll come in from the East if you'll come in from the west." 
Chief (protesting): That's Lake Champlian!" 
Bandit: "That's OK, you guys just bought a new police boat." 

The cops and cameras were waiting for Ploof, who entered with a John Wayne gait from across the railroad tracks. He wore a cowboy hat and sunglasses. A bandanna covered his face. What looked like a tree branch rose from the holster at his side. 

The showdown turned out to be a letdown. Both sides agreed on needed road repair. 

A week later, with newspapers in hot pursuit, Ploof acknowledged his identity on the Channel 3 news. He pulled off his mask after planting a tree in another pothole. 

In July, the Pothole Bandit was back, this time to face the mayor. They met on the Winooski-Burlington Bridge, where Ploof received a written pardon and a cake to kick off the city's roads program. The cake was shaped like a street and had a center line down the middle sans potholes.... 

The publicity has been nice. "It taught me that people hate potholes and love trees." 

Well, BGrass-Lers... this an example of the true American spirit. Stop and think about what you can do. In these days of lemming oriented politics, here is a man who found a way to not only raise local awareness but a way to do it with sttttttyyyyyyle.......

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
John Beagle Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List MUSA Official Joined: Apr 23 2007 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 1855	Post Options Post Reply Quote John Beagle Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: The Pothole Bandit Posted: Nov 29 2007 at 10:44am
	Courtesy \TMP of Crankmail Some folks plant trees in the spring; others do it in the fall. Bruce Ploof had never planted trees before, so he took a middle-of-the-road approach. He planted them in the middle of the road. Ploof did this to protest the number of potholes in Burlington Vt., after an ambulance hit one and broke and axle. So, one Wednesday night in June, the 28-year-old taxi driver screwed up his courage and filled each of three of the city's biggest cavities with a 3-foot spruce. He waited until the bars closed to plant the trees, and he placed a blinking light barricade in front of each one. Signs warned "Potholes of Burlington, Beware. (Signed) The Pothole Bandit." The act put Burlington on the map. The New York Times ran the story, so did the Boston Globe, Washington Post, Stars and Stripes and the National Enquirer. Morton Dean mentioned The Great Pothole Caper on the Cable News Network, and a national gardening magazine took pictures. Two days later, a Burlington disc jockey managed a telephone hookup between the still anonymous bandit and the local police chief. On the air, they decided to meet at Perkins Pier at High Noon, as the radio station played "The Good, The Bad, and They Ugly". Bandit: "I'll come in from the East if you'll come in from the west." Chief (protesting): That's Lake Champlian!" Bandit: "That's OK, you guys just bought a new police boat." The cops and cameras were waiting for Ploof, who entered with a John Wayne gait from across the railroad tracks. He wore a cowboy hat and sunglasses. A bandanna covered his face. What looked like a tree branch rose from the holster at his side. The showdown turned out to be a letdown. Both sides agreed on needed road repair. A week later, with newspapers in hot pursuit, Ploof acknowledged his identity on the Channel 3 news. He pulled off his mask after planting a tree in another pothole. In July, the Pothole Bandit was back, this time to face the mayor. They met on the Winooski-Burlington Bridge, where Ploof received a written pardon and a cake to kick off the city's roads program. The cake was shaped like a street and had a center line down the middle sans potholes.... The publicity has been nice. "It taught me that people hate potholes and love trees." Well, BGrass-Lers... this an example of the true American spirit. Stop and think about what you can do. In these days of lemming oriented politics, here is a man who found a way to not only raise local awareness but a way to do it with sttttttyyyyyyle.......
	John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.

Bill Rogers Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident Joined: Apr 24 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 225	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bill Rogers Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Nov 29 2007 at 11:14am
	I don't think the state of our streets have become that desperate... YET. I'll keep this in mind though.