Darwinism In Action: Seattle Refuses to Use Salt to Melt Icy Roads
Like many towns across the Northwestern United States, the past two weeks brought unexpected downpours of pure global warming to Seattle in the form of ice and snow. But unlike sensible towns, Seattle refused to do anything to melt the snow off of the roadways. Instead, they allowed a bigmouth assistant to the Department of Transportation to announce to the city that not only were the main streets unusable, but the police department was paralyzed too. They refused to salt the roads because of unfounded scientific threats to the local environment. Meanwhile, citizens died in car crashes and no police were around to stop the violence and rape against women.
But what do I care? Let the fools in Seattle kill themselves with their self-imposed Darwinism. The only thing that would make it better is if it happened to San Francisco. From an incredulous SeattleTimes here:
“We’re trying to create a hard-packed surface,” said Alex Wiggins, chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation. “It doesn’t look like anything you’d find in Chicago or New York.”
(ed) Or any other town that can successfully manage snowfall, dumbass.
The city’s approach means crews clear the roads enough for all-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles, or those with front-wheel drive cars as long as they are using chains, Wiggins said.
The icy streets are the result of Seattle’s refusal to use salt, an effective ice-buster used by the state Department of Transportation and cities accustomed to dealing with heavy winter snows.
“If we were using salt, you’d see patches of bare road because salt is very effective,” Wiggins said. “We decided not to utilize salt because it’s not a healthy addition to Puget Sound.”
So, Wiggins admits he decided to be ineffective. In my book, that’s called failing on purpose.
Seattle also equips its plows with rubber-edged blades. That minimizes the damage to roads and manhole covers, but it doesn’t scrape off the ice, Wiggins said.
That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can’t: melt it.
The city’s patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.
Seattle’s stand against using salt is not shared by the state Department of Transportation.
Wiggins said “Here in Seattle, we’re sensitive about everything we do that impacts the environment.”
My older brother told me a story the other day about how he recently travelled to Seattle to teach a class on computer drafting and design. He described the town as being full of “people who don’t bathe and all they do is drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.” I’d like to add that they die in snowstorms. Thank God! And thanks to HotAir and Michelle Malkin for the story.
