• ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      It can, they often use it

      Sand doesn’t melt ice but it provides traction; too much and it’s slippery again, too little and it does nothing

      If you have a busy road where it’s constantly being moved around as well as melting and freezing again then it’s not ideal

      The dirt also has to be cleaned up

      • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        The dirt also has to be cleaned up

        You mean the dirt CAN be cleaned up. This is a pro, not a con. The salt also needs to be cleaned up, and it’s a LOT harder.

          • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            Water washes salt away better (and into our streams), it’s easier on our pipes

            You get that’s the actual problem we’re trying to solve, right? Water washing salt away is the opposite of cleaning up!! We still need to recover that salt, only now it’s in our ecosystem.

        • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Shifting away from car dependancy would reduce overall traffic and make sand more useable and reduce total salt used when salt is still needed.

            • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              “We cant not design for cars because we already designed for cars”

              Toronto existed before cars. People walked or took the tram. It can’t be fixed over night but it can be rebuilt to be less car centric.

                • frostbiker@lemmy.ca
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                  1 year ago

                  The best time to start was two generations ago. The second best time is now.

                  Allow mixed-use 3-5 story buildings everywhere, remove parking minimums, and watch how transit corridors fill with liveable neighborhoods.

    • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I’ve seen gravel used more than sand in Quebec. Same problems though. Bonus points is you get to eat shit in spring while skateboarding.

  • spyd4r@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Blame corporations for applying obscene amounts of salts to prevent liability issues. The place I used to work at would put down so much everyday it was like walking on rocks. The entire sidewalk and parking lot.

    • nyan@lemmy.cafe
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      1 year ago

      Sodium chloride is usual, because it’s the cheapest option even if it isn’t the most effective.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    The move to reduce the amount of road salt during the winter months can’t wait because Ontario’s groundwater and lakes are showing “very rapid salinization,” researchers at the University of Waterloo say.

    “We actually use a lot of of salt, and salt is a very effective way to keep roads, sidewalks and parking lots free of ice, and that, of course, is important in terms of ensuring the safety of road users and pedestrians,” said Philippe Van Cappellen, a professor and researcher at the school, as well as the Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology

    Most recently, Van Cappellen was part of a research group that looked specifically at Lake Wilcox in Richmond Hill.

    Van Cappellen said he wants local municipalities to talk about their road salt use, setting targets such as reducing its use by 25 per cent in the next five years.

    David Pressey, the Region of Waterloo’s manager of transportation operations, said the muniipality has been aware of concerns about the use of road salt and has actively worked to decrease its use.

    The region will lay down a brine solution when it learns a storm is coming, helping reduce the amount of rock salt spread during plowing.


    The original article contains 655 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 70%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!