"We get more calls for back lanes than we do for streets," said Daniel McIntyre Coun. Harvey Smith. Many lanes in Smith's inner-city ward are in the worst condition in Winnipeg.

"I make more calls on back lanes than anything else, with the possible exception of snow," echoed St. Vital Coun. Gord Steeves, in an e-mail. "I am constantly on the phone (about) back lanes and trying to help get work done."

"That's peanuts," Smith said of the 2008 budget amount. "There should be enough to go ahead and address the problem of bad back lanes."