Dangerous.

That's how one driver describes Prince Street in Sydney, a long stretch of road that runs north and south through Cape Breton's largest urban area.

Michael MacInnis predicts it won't be long before a vehicle hits one of the potholes, ruts, or bumpy patched sections and strikes another vehicle head-on, with potentially tragic results.

His recent video of trying to navigate through the potholes on Prince Street went viral and prompted the municipality's public works department to make some repairs. The municipality did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.

MacInnis spoke with CBC News about his viral video and why he still avoids the busy thoroughfare when possible.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity

A worsening problem

CBC: Do you drive Prince Street often?

MacInnis: I drive it now and then. I try to stay out of that area as much as I can, really. I take the highway.

CBC: Why is that?

MacInnis: Because of the roads, the condition they are in. I try to be easy on my vehicle, make it last. Going that way, taking that street will put a beating on your vehicle, for sure.

CBC: How bad is it?

MacInnis: I would say it has been getting progressively worse in the last few years — the last four, five years. It seems to be getting patched and patched and patched, and there is no real stripping and full-on paving being done.

I believe that has to be done and hopefully, it's done this summer.

CBC: Is it dangerous?

MacInnis: Absolutely. That part of the road is so narrow and it's a four-lane street and it really shouldn't be. It should be a two-lane street. In the condition it is in now, cars swerving in and out of the lanes, there is no room for them to go anywhere.

Catching it on video

CBC: Describe the video and how you set it up.

MacInnis: My girlfriend and I were just going to the Mayflower Mall and I drove over Prince Street ... and I made the comment to her like, "This is worse than off-roading," and she laughed.

Then I said, "You know what? Let's get a video of this, and just kind of make a funny video, a comedic kind of thing."

I had her set the camera up and she filmed me. I kind of made a parody of it. Where I had made four-by-four driving videos in the past, I kind of expected my friends on Facebook to say, "Where is he going today?" and I had her pan up to show that it was Prince Street and not a back road that I usually take.

I uploaded it, did not expect it to go as crazy as it did.

CBC: What were people saying?

MacInnis: People were just happy that I put it up there and made everybody aware. Some people were even making the comments to come and go on their road and do a video, come on their street and do a video. You know, try to make the municipality see.

When I made the video, I wasn't making it to ... make the CBRM [Cape Breton Regional Municipality] look bad, make the workers look bad. I was just doing it for fun. But I do see that a lot of complaints are made about the workers and made about the way the roads are, and I didn't want to take a negative spin on it.

I wanted to be positive. I find you catch more flies with honey and apparently, I did.

Quick response

CBC: Explain what happened afterwards.

MacInnis: I put it up on Sunday afternoon and by Monday morning, there were workers out there patching the street.

I just happened to be in Sydney Monday morning and took a drive up that street and I could not believe that I [saw] "Men Working" signs.

It was really funny and that's when I made a second video actually. It's on my Facebook, just saying thanks to the CBRM for taking the initiative.

I guess 60,000 views does make a difference.

I know the pavement plants are not open now and they only have so much material to work with, but hopefully later on in the spring, maybe the first of summer, they can do some real great work to the road.

CBC: So what they've done is fill the holes?

MacInnis: Yeah. That's pretty much all they could do at the time, I believe.

Man of the people

CBC: How do you feel that your video spurred public works to help fix the road?

MacInnis: I'm ... very happy and humbled. Pretty amazing really that social media has such a far outreach. I'm sure it was probably on their list of roads to do, but I guess my video might have lit a fire under them to get there quicker.

CBC: What are people saying now?

MacInnis: Some people actually suggested that I should run for mayor!

CBC: Is this going to be an ongoing thing for you?

MacInnis: I don't know. I feel the pressure to do some kind of followup or something.

One of my friends said you should get [comedians] Tracy and Martina and [amateur weatherman] Frankie MacDonald in on it. Have Frankie be the weatherman, I could do road reports, and Tracy and Martina could be the news anchors for the show, and I thought, oh my God, that would be amazing!

But that's a big undertaking. I don't know if I am going to go ahead with making another video. I might. If I find another road or street that is bad enough, yeah, why not?