About Snow And Ice And Safe Roads

A while ago, a recommendation from the Environmental Advisory Committee was made to Council to try to use less salt on town roads.

A specific suggestion was to initially reduce salt on select streets as a pilot project.

Salt of course is environmentally undesirable.Too bad we need to use it for Canada to be habitable in winter.

Council accepted the advice of Advisory Committee. All except me. Another situation where I was the lone hold-out; the black-hearted villain who does not appreciate the work of volunteers.

I thought the idea was nuts.

Decades ago the Ministry of Transportation decided the minimal amount of salt needed to be used on roads in sub-zero temperatures. It gets into water courses. It causes damage to cars. It eats away at concrete and bricks and dissolves cut stone walls. It kills grass on boulevards. It splashes on pedestrians and children in strollers, Even winter boots are a mess because of salt. It splashes a mucky mess on windows and doors of stores on the main street and can't be washed off in the freezing temperatures.

Small creatures paws become hurt and bleeding.

Obviously salt must be kept to a minimum. The conclusion was drawn long since. As a consequence, the mix of salt and sand needed to keep roads clear of ice and do the least amount of damage to the environment has already been calculated more than forty years ago.

The worst aspect of the committee's recommendation was that short streets because of fewer residents could be used for a pilot study.

How exactly can a town withhold safety and amenity on particular streets because they are short and therefore have fewer residents ?

My objections were dismissed,disregarded, received no credence or credibility from any party,including staff.

Well, guess what; without much ado or fanfare, a staff report was later quietly slipped under the radar. The pilot project would not be forthcoming.

For reasons of liability.

This story has a point. The town collects millions of dollars in taxes,
To the great hardship of many home and business property owners.

The money pays for high price experts on the payroll. Their job is to advise on best practice for least cost.

Staff resources are provided to advisory committees. Space in the town hall. Minutes are kept. Reports are dictated, written, copied collated, stapled and thirty-six copies are distributed. Council discusses. Staff are directed. Will o'the wisp ideas are followed up and the whole process is repeated once more.

Needless effort is duplicated many times over.

In the end my friend, frequently, nothing comes of it. Nada, nil, zilch and zero is the end result.

Except for the expense. It takes taxpayers' money. Lots of it. From people who have lost jobs and businesses struggling to survive.

On advice from people who were not elected. Don't have to account for money collected or spent. Don't have to take phone calls from people who can't get out of their driveway to get to work to earn a living to pay the taxes.

Remember, the year before, the debacle about plowing out driveways. Hours of talk. Wasted dollars. Remember who recommended that?

It's no way to run a railroad.

It makes me, otherwise agreeable, downright disagreeable.