City should talk tough during bad weather: official
Drivers need to know road treatments don’t work under the coldest conditions
City officials need to be frank with the public when extreme cold and humid conditions turn Edmonton roads into skating rinks.
That was one lesson learned from this month’s cold snap. As temperatures fell overnight, ice formed from water in the air, and the city’s new calcium chloride spray was powerless to melt it. Edmonton saw 191 collisions in nine hours.
Traditionally, city staff respond to bad weather by appearing on morning radio shows to tell the public that crews are working hard to improve road conditions.
“We have to change the message,” Doug Jones, deputy city manager for city operations, said Friday.
It’s better to warn people the city has no tools to fight conditions like this and encourage people to pay closer attention their driving, he said.
“Our challenge is when it gets really cold ... we don’t have a solution.”
Edmonton has significantly expanded its use of calcium chloride, an anti-icing compound sprayed on road surfaces before major snow or ice events.
It’s an attempt to reduce the use of sand, improve road conditions and free up manpower to work on pedestrian and bike paths.
Crews are now treating all major arterial roads, including Yellowhead Trail, Whitemud Drive and Gateway Boulevard.
They’re also treating about half of the bus routes, while using traditional methods with rock salt and sand on the other half to provide a good comparison.
Some manufacturers say calcium chloride works in temperatures as cold as -30 C.
But in practice, “when it gets a little diluted, the most you can really expect is to minus 25,” Jones said.
Even sand doesn’t help much on a layer of hard, smooth ice, said Janet Tecklenborg, Edmonton’s director of infrastructure operations.
Cars slide on the sand, and it quickly gets pushed to the sides of the road anyway.
At more normal temperatures for Edmonton, the spray does seem to be working, Jones said. There are early indications collision rates were down in November and December.
The city is also trying to access health statistics for slips and falls, and has asked Epcor to monitor the composition of the water going down the drains to see the effect on the river.
As well, officials will be conducting a citywide public engagement in the spring to hear from residents.
Anecdotally, many drivers are reporting less icy roads.
“It’s made a huge difference, except for that one day when I saw four accidents,” said Peter Koziol, who drives every day.
But on Postmedia’s urban affairs Facebook page, some wondered if they see more rust and a film on their vehicles, even though the calcium chloride contains an anticorrosion additive.
Cyclists definitely report more rust, and are mixed on whether the clear paths are worth the bother. Some say they feel safer. Others say simply plowing or brushing would be better.
“Most winter cyclists have studded tires for ice,” Bob Barnetson said.
Pet owners seem the most concerned.
“Right after we cross the road, my dog will start limping,” said Kyle Giesbrecht, who has a shepherd husky named Sebastian.
They’ve now learned to avoid the main streets, he said. But he’s unsure if there are any long-term impacts, and would rather the city didn’t use calcium chloride in parks.
“It clearly irritates him,” Giesbrecht said.
“It seems like it’s being used pretty heavily.”