So who’s idea was it to start using gravel on the sidewalks instead of road salt. Yah thats great as long as the all mighty car has a clear path on the f-in road who give a sh** about the poor low income folk who have to walk. J-asses running this city should be put in a wheelchair for a day or given enough muscle relaxants and forced to use a walker(of course I have no idea if that is possible). Maybe they would wake up. I have been in contact with my alderperson (G.M.) and she apparently isn’t able to do a thing about it. Hell she didn’t even know who is in charge of snow and ice control for this district. I know G.M. isn’t getting my vote next election.
—ns.smartass
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
You need to read up on Salt and how effective it is below -3 or so. Since the weather’s been colder, its probably a mix of salt AND sand, you know, for traction?
Now the half assed job being done on the sidewalks to start is a whole other issue.
The sidewalks are pathetic. I don’t have a car, I live in the south end, and I have a 6 month old baby. A stroller is out of the question thanks to deadbeat landlords who don’t arrange for snow removal and giant glaciers on every corner, so if I want to prevent any kind of wintertime-induced mental illness I have to strap all 20 pounds of wee babe to my chest and risk either smushing him or breaking my tailbone should I fall. I guess we’ll just stay home and I’ll sit him in front of the Treehouse channel. Thanks Halifax for promoting healthy living!
Actually EQ, the DOT website and the multiple ads they’ve taken out says salt is effective up to -10 during the day and -7 during the night. This in fact is moderately incorrect as the type of road salt they use (a mix of magnesium and good ol NaCl, or Calcium Chloride as well) do one of two things. They lower the freezing temperature of the water and they also release heat when they melt the ice. IF they use a mix of the two, “road salt” can actually prevent the ice from freezing in temperatures up to about -15 in direct sunlight. HRM’s just being cheap by using inferior product and mixing what they do have with clay. They aren’t even using sand.
Fever, is that true?
magnesium and table salt?
I knew it was salt, but didn’t think it was edible.
Dr F. Interesting.
I did do some reading, and know that calcium chloride itself is far more effective, AND doesn’t cause rust on cars, its also more $$$. If they don’t want to use it on the roads, they could at least use it on sidewalks for peopel who do want to / have to walk
zZz— yep, that’s all it is, just larger pieces of it, it also doesn’t contain iodine, so it’s less refined. EQ— i agree with you. CaCl is actually used by most cold weather countries in Europe for both applications, so why not us? Right… we’re cheap. I wonder if the city even knows that the contractors are using kitty litter in the mix?