About that snow...

Here in Portland, we don't salt icy roads. A few main roads and freeways get a deicer solution but most just have pebbles laid down for traction. Right. Pebbles. Our car paint and undercarriage really appreciate the lack of salt, but, seriously, pebbles? Why not just use salt like the rest of the civilized world? It works a LOT better than a bunch of windshield weapons.

It's all about protecting the environment. Rock salt damages the soil, gets into the water supply through the runoff, kills plants (remember the Biblical threat of salting fields?) and animals can eat it in dangerous quantities.

I agree with the policy of not using rock salt on our roads - until I have to drive on them, then I get grouchy. The snow and ice don't usually last long, thank goodness. (Of course, now I will have jinxed us all. Sorry Portland!)

ETA: Here's another article on the pollution effects of using salt on the road - Does Salt Harm the Environment


Here's what KATU news has to say about treating the ice:

PORTLAND, Ore. — Icy roadways and sidewalks made any kind of travel -- driving or walking -- treacherous over the past few days. Now that things are thawing out, it is firing up an old debate: why don't we use salt to melt the ice?

It comes down to protecting the environment: rock salt is not good for it. But with a record number of people getting injured from falling on the ice, some are wondering if it is worth a little harm to keep people safe.

On Tuesday night, there were a few lingering patches of snow along sidewalks and streets in downtown Portland. Enough to remind us what was.

"The sidewalks were like, pretty treacherous," said Copeland Downs, a native Portlander. "People were using crampons, kind of mushing about."

"We've been through worse storms. Luckily this kind of thing only happens once every year or two," said Dylan Rivera, spokesperson for Portland's Bureau of Transportation.

Portland road crews treat 25 percent of the city's roadways - only the most heavily traveled - with a chemical called magnesium chloride, that helps break down the ice. But some say it is not enough.

"When entire roads turn into giant sheets of ice, and there's clearly no intention of doing anything with it. You know, it's all fun and games until somebody eventually gets hurt," said Eric Shulein, who commutes into downtown.

"Historically, I think the city's pretty underprepared for a lot of weather events. It's pretty pathetic in some ways," Downs said.

Rock salt is used across the country, including surrounding states. The Washington Department of Transportation combines rock salt with magnesium chloride to melt the ice.

"Rock salt is another tool in the toolbox that might be used in situations, in particular conditions," said Dave Thompson, Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson.

He's referring to the two places it is used, and both see heavy snow: Far southwestern Oregon on the California border and far southeastern Oregon. These are both pilot programs. But for the rest of the state, it is a no go.

"The short-term relief for a few isolated areas, it's not worth the long-term consequences for the environment," Rivera explains, and adds they are all ears if people in the community want to open the conversation again.

"I think they take it a little too far. It's a major safety concern," Shulein counters. "The entire city shuts down whenever these minor (events happen) what happened the other day was minor."

Be careful on the roads out there, especially in the West Hills and on hilly streets! If your driveway has a steep grade, just stay home! Please, if at all possible, Portlanders, stay home in the crummy weather!

Remember, even when there's snow and ice, I'm still a real estate agent! If you'd like to have a FREE home market evaluation, just drop me a line!