Where you don't want to go

by R. Bruce Thomas

Nope.

I haven't lost it.

Conventional wisdom when riding is to look where you want to go.

So why have I reversed it here?

It's the beginning of March. Riding season is right around the corner and it wouldn't surprise me if some people haven't got out already (it was +12C here in Edmonton on Feb 22 when I started writing this!!).

Two news items caught my eye recently (CTV News on Jan 22 and The Edmonton Journal on Feb 14).

Apparently, the city filled over 11,000 potholes in January. This may seem like a lot, but in 2023 they averaged 51,000/month and in 2024 the average was 44,000/month.

Those numbers could climb in 2025 after pothole complaints to 311 jumped from 56 in Jan 2024 to 1,286 in Jan 2025. The number of potholes goes up in the spring when the snow melts and continues through the summer. We may or may not end up with more potholes than previous years but one thing is certain - road users are motivated to call in and complain about them.

In an automobile it may be difficult to avoid potholes when traffic is packed, leaving no room to swerve around them. Jamming on the brakes may reduce the damage caused by slamming into a big hole but leaves you susceptible to getting rear-ended.

But, we are lucky when we ride since motorcycles are single-track vehicles and we have a lot of space in our lanes making it much easier to avoid potholes.

IF, you look where you don't want to go.

Of course, you should always be scanning the road surface as that is our connection to the world and flawless road surfaces are hard to find short of racetracks but in the real world we have dirt and gravel and sand and wet leaves and roadkill and potholes, etc.

And we want to avoid most of those hazards to ensure we have enjoyable riding experiences.

So, while we wait for riding season, now is the time to practice your avoidance skills. Keep your eyes up and look as far ahead as you can as part of your regular scanning to give yourself time to maneuver. If your long-range scanning identifies a hazard, don't fixate on it but keep it in your priority vision as you get closer and plan an avoidance strategy. Avoiding a hazard is when you look where you want to go.

Give yourself extra space between you and the other drivers on the road. Not only does this give you a safety cushion but it prevents surprises coming out from under the vehicle ahead of you.

Ride at speeds appropriate for the conditions.

We may not be riding our bikes yet, but now is the time to get in the mindset for when we are.

Remember, objects on the calendar are closer than they may appear.

See you on the road, very soon.

Ride responsibly, and often.