Spring has sprung

Yes, it’s spring in Prince George, despite the little bit of snow we got on Saturday.

One easy way to tell the seasons have changed is to see the number of drivers being forced to do the pothole two-step on local streets.

Just driving in a fairly limited area on the weekend, especially Sunday, I found a few spots that had nasty-looking holes.

There were a couple in the eastbound lane of 18th Avenue, just past Ospika, as well as a couple on the entrance to the Exhibition Grounds off 18th Avenue.

I have noticed a fair number of holes that have obviously been patched, especially along 15th Avenue, but this seems to be a race, as usual, the city crews can’t win. They put down quick patches in one area, and new potholes appear in three other spots.

The recent weather hasn’t helped either, since I know from past conversations with road managers here and in other locations that the freeze-thaw cycle we are still seeing a lot of nights does a real number on roads.

One possible beneficial side effect of the potholes is that they may slow down some of the speedier drivers on our local roads. After all, it can be hard enough to take evasive action around a pothole when you’re driving the speed limit, and I’ve had a couple of rather nasty jolts from potholes I couldn’t avoid.

When that happens, I sometimes smile a bit (after making sure all the parts of the vehicle are still attached), and think about what it would be like to hit that same pothole dead-on going a lot faster.

I then picture in my mind the sight of one of those vehicles possibly going airborne after making contact. It makes a plenty diversion as I weave my way past a few more potholes.

It will be interesting to see the city’s list of what streets will be paved this summer, since the season could be starting earlier than usual.

• One of the coolest sights this weekend was on Sunday morning at the Roll-a-Dome as the Prince George and Kamloops roller derby teams warmed up for their match at the Northern Exposure tournament.

The PA system started playing Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson, and some of the skaters from both teams started doing some fancy moves to the music.

I remembered then watching some of those scenes of roller skaters dancing to disco songs in the 1970s (and yes, I am dating myself again).