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Alberta gets too cold for road salt to be used which is why they use gravel. Though, I agree and would like to see gravel used in Ontario as it is much better f
by freshpots 6y ago
Alberta gets too cold for road salt to be used which is why they use gravel. Though, I agree and would like to see gravel used in Ontario as it is much better for the environment. We are seeing a significant rise in the salinity of our rivers and, more concerning, groundwater drinking wells.
- frosted-flakes 6y agoIn Ontario, sand is typically used outside of cities, at least in Simcoe County. It's remarkably effective at melting ice and snow.
- peeters 6y agoSand does nothing to melt ice and snow. It's used for traction.
- frosted-flakes 6y agoYes, it's used for traction, but sand will absolutely melt snow and ice. I know from experience. On my low-traffic street, the ploughs only spread sand on intersections and hills (to conserve it, I'm assuming), and when the rest of the street is hard-packed snow and ice, those spots are bare asphalt. It melts it by making it darker, thus absorbing more sunlight. This effect is less pronounced at extremely cold temperatures, and only works during the day.