Calcium chloride ban will have an impact, expert says

While some residents took to social media claiming victory in city council’s split decision to not use calcium chloride anti-icing brine on roads this winter, others are concerned the ban will limit the ability to keep streets clear of snow and ice.

Safe streets advocates say they are hopeful the city can find alternatives to clear the roads that work as well as the anti-icer, worried that less traction on roads could increase collisions.

Julie Kusiek with Liveable Streets Edmonton doesn’t have a strong opinion on the contentious calcium chloride solution and the associated corrosion claims, but she is concerned that a tool at the city’s disposal has been taken away.

“What I’d like to see them do is to put another tool back in, and one of those is going to be lowering speed limits when the time comes,” said Kusiek, who has advocated for speed limit reductions.

Reaching zero fatal and serious collisions is the long-term goal in adherence to the city’s Vision Zero strategy.

Karim El-basyouny, the city’s urban traffic safety research chair at the University of Alberta, said it is essential the Vision Zero goal isn’t affected by council’s Oct. 8 decision.

“(Calcium chloride) one tool that can help us achieve the goals,” he said. “It is going to have an effect. How big of an effect we still don’t know.”

El-basyouny was one of two experts commissioned by the city to study the impacts of the anti-icer on achieving bare pavement and reducing collisions. Safer streets through reaching bare pavement was the overarching goal of the snow and ice pilot first implemented in early 2017 and in place for the last two winters.

Using two winters of data, the collision study found “very promising ” results including a 12.5-percent reduction in injury collisions at intersections. But El-basyouny noted there are several factors involved in collisions, not just road conditions, that couldn’t be directly measured.

The number of collisions in the city has actually increased since 2016, according to annual motor vehicle collision reports, and total crashes in winter months also didn’t diminish under the pilot.

A total of 2,816 collisions in November of last year is higher than the previous three Novembers.

Lack of concrete data and drastic differences in calcium chloride use throughout the pilot are the main reasons Vision Zero champion Coun. Bev Esslinger voted against its continuation, instead advocating for a pause to do more research into the brine’s effect on making roads safer.

“We really need the additional data to see what the impact is without using it for one year,” she said.

In the weeks of debate, Mayor Don Iveson voiced his view that banning the brine will cause an increase in collisions.

El-basyouny said the city must find replacement solutions to fill the calcium chloride hole.

What I’d like to see them do is to put another tool back in, and one of those is going to be lowering speed limits.