I've always thought the reason Seattle didn't use salt on the roads in snowy weather was because the rain here tends to turn to snow quickly, and there is this "perfect time" when you've got to get salt on the roads to absorb the snow, but at that time it is usually raining, hence washing away the salt and rendering the entire effort useless. So instead, Seattle uses sand.
Not so, I learned today. I'll go ahead and summarize this article in the Seattle Times for you. Basically, Seattle thinks salt is bad for the environment and, being the sustainability-minded folks (Shane would say "tree huggers") they are, would rather use sand to mitigate the effects of the snow. They argue salt is, and I quote, "not a healthy addition to Puget Sound."
Oh geez, where to begin! My favorite part of the article is when they called a transportation person in Denver, where it um, snows a lot, and that person said:
"We never use sand. Sand causes dust, and there's also water-quality issues where it goes into streets and into our rivers."OK, so if now salt is bad, and sand is bad, what should you use? I suppose what would make sense is to use the lesser of two evils. And how would one gauge that? I'd weigh in that you should use what actually works.
Salt works. It melts the snow and ice by lowering the freezing temperature, so your car doesn't slip and slide.
Sand works for a short period of time, maybe, absorbing the snow and packing it, so you can drive on it. However, if it is still snowing, sand doesn't to work. More snow on top of packed snow is just more of a mess, and the freezing temperature is the same, so ice still results and cars still slip and slide.
I'm all for doing things for the environment, but when the argument can be made that you're not actually helping the environment by doing what you think is helping the environment, then what?
I just hope Seattle realizes they are driving all of us mad. The roads are skating rinks. The transportation conditions are just part of the reason why I am sequestered by my husband, forbidden to drive (and we have a Subaru!), and beginning to go a little stir crazy. I had a ton of Christmas shopping to do that won't get done. I think I'll make little coupons that say "new bath squirters" and "new bibs" and wrap them up in boxes for Wesley. Since I'm not going anywhere today.
4 comments:
I saw that article from a link on another web site and had to really laugh at the nuts running the asylum in Seattle.
They put the opinions of whackos ahead of public safety with such absurd rules as you have observed. Isn't the Puget sound a salt-water body of water?
A few high-profile lawsuits will be what is needed to bring them back to reality and some common sense, I'm afraid ....
anyone know what the environmental effects of lava rock are? that's what they use here in rexburg, id. i don't know what it does. i just know that it's a lot of red slush kicking up on to my car.
I don't know what the answer is to this disaster, I just know that what they are doing ain't workin'. Our street is a nice 2"ish layer of solid ice at the moment. That will require a lot of rain to melt since our street is in constant shade because of the tall buildings. Good times. I am not a fan.
I learned through my LEGO League team that did some research on Icy Road conditions that extra salt (or chlorides) are indeed 'bad' for the environment. Not just what they were saying about the Puget Sound - what happens is that the chlorides absorb moisture out of the air. The slush with salt mixed into it is splashed on trees near the highway which suck up the salt water thinking it is regular water. Ha, ha, though, the trees have been fooled and the salt sucks up the water inside of them, turning them brown and damaging them.
That at least, is a better argument than those loonies who reported to the newspaper. I still think salt is the best stuff to clear the roads. Other problems with salt is that it corrodes not only cars but also the roads as well. But, better to drive a rusty car on a road with traction than to drive a nice sleek car on a staking rink eh?
Also, good thing they talked with people from Denver. Maybe in Denver they know how to take car of clearing the roads better because here in Colorado Springs, even if you think it snows all of the time, they are not very good AT ALL at clearing the roads. Have a Merry Christmas sis. :)
(psst - the real solution to icy roads is just to move to southern CA, Florida, Arizona, or southern Texas)
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