Springtime predictions

Bold prediction: the potholes are going to be atrocious this spring.

Calm down, I'm not psychic. I'm merely an acute observer of winter weather. Having experienced the continual periods of freezing and thawing this January and given my (somewhat sketchy, granted) knowledge of H2O chemistry, I have deduced that come April, drivers' tempers will fray and the airwaves will again be filled with pothole-induced vituperation. They're already evolving, those potholes. Yesterday I just missed falling into one on St. Albert Trail. By April it'll be a monster.

We live in an environment hostile to asphalt. This should be obvious to anyone who has a rudimentary understanding of grade six science. Yet each spring we forget this as completely as we forget each fall what 'winter driving conditions' means. Holy short-term memory, Batman.

But this post isn't about potholes, regardless of the passion that tangent drew forth. It's actually about roller blading. Yeah, I know it's leap. Stay with me. Potholes are caused by ice, and when ice makes an appearance, the sanding trucks get to work. That's good in the short run -- I like skidding across busy intersections as little as the next person -- but in the long run sanding trucks kill my soul a little bit. Come April, not only will potholes dot the roads, but sand will grime the sidewalks.

To walkers like Rebecca Solnit, sandy sidewalks are no big deal. Their shoes are made for walking; sand is no obstacle. But to a rollerblader like me, sand erases any chance of non-car transportation. I simply cannot blade if there's sand on the path. I'm merely an adequate rollerblader; maybe for those more advanced than me sand is no big deal. For me it is a big deal.

I like rollerblading because it's faster than walking, less tedious than biking, and great exercise. Unfortunately, the conditions necessary for rollerblading are more exacting than those for other modes of transportation. The path must be clear and smooth. Crumbling concrete, multitudinous cracks, and above all, sand preclude blading. It's damn frustrating.

I love this city for cutting down on salt use on roads, and I hate it for piling sand on my thoroughfares. I hate it for not sweeping the streets until May, and for missing the sand on the sidewalks on which windrows have melted. I hate it for the lack of city-spanning bike (or blade) paths.

Solnit and the walkers have it easy. All they require for their favoured mode of transportation are their feet. I need the cooperation of the city for mine, and as we all know, the city is niggardly in its handouts.

Another bold prediction: it'll be at least May before I can take to my blades.