When Tim Woodcock rides his bicycle to work from St. Andrews, he encounters countless potholes. Last week, he said the worst part of his trek was between the Norwood Bridge and the Red Top restaurant in St. Boniface.

"The wettest part of my entire ride was St. Mary’s," said Woodcock, referring to the melted snow that puddles up in potholes.

And while the warm weather comes hand-in-hand with more ruts in the road, it also brings out more cyclists.

That has Woodcock — owner of Woodcock Cycle Works Inc. on St. Mary’s Road in St. Vital — reminding motorists that cyclists have to deal with potholes, too.

"The tough thing with the potholes is, when you’re commuting, you’re trying to keep as close as possible to the curb. But most of the worst potholes are close to the curb," he explained.

Mark Cohoe, a director with the group Bike to the Future, agreed with Woodcock’s assessment.

"I think sometimes drivers don’t realize we’re dealing with that," Cohoe said, adding that hitting a pothole can be more jarring for bikes than for cars.

Cohoe added spring is a good time to remind people to be consistent by riding their bikes about a meter away from the curb.

"If you’re at that meter length, it gives a bit of room to react," Cohoe said.

He said even when there aren’t potholes to worry about, hugging the curb too closely can be dangerous since debris such as gravel and glass tend to gather there.

According to Manitoba Public Insurance, potholes are more likely to occur closer to the curb because of drainage patterns.

Ken Boyd, the city’s manager of street maintenance, said this year seems particularly bad for potholes.

That’s partly because of a wet fall, and because of numerous freeze-thaw cycles this winter and spring, he explained.

"Those both contributed to what I consider a worse than normal pothole season," he said.

Boyd added crews are already on the street fixing ruts, both by hand and using automatic pothole-filing machines.

Cohoe said while potholes are a spring ritual in Winnipeg, he’d like to see the city spend more money on improving infrastructure.

Woodcock agreed, adding that the city should also ensure it’s getting guarantees on work done by contractors.

"It seems the same roads are getting resurfaced every year or two years," he said.

Boyd said individuals can report potholes by calling the city’s 311 information line.

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com