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Citizen complaint of the day: Choking clouds of salt
By adamg on Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:55pm
Salt, salt everywhere.
A gagging citizen files a 311 complaint about the amount of salt Boston Public Works has put down over the past week:
The ridiculous amount of ice melt on the city streets is a driving and health hazard. What is going on? Why is there literally inches of fine powdery substance covering streets to the point that it looks like snow. The powder creates dust storm reducing visibility and becoming a breathing hazard when walking down the street. Are we experimenting with a new road treatment because if that’s the case, it’s horrendous. My child could not stop coughing waiting for the bus as the dust clouds enveloped her. Send out the sweepers and go back to the old ice melt. You’re killing us. Not to mention no one can see out of their car windows. This is not the usual post treatment state of the roads.
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Comments
Agreed
It has been awful this time, way worse than normal. My lungs are feeling it and it cannot be good for our street trees and plants or our local waterways.
Boston needs some brine trucks
Yes, the ice was really bad for a bit but ... brine is better than salt especially ahead of a long freeze.
Brine ahead of a storm will prevent ice from getting a grip on the pavement.
Brine on existing ice has a much better chance of melting the ice than dry salt because it is wet going down - it doesn't have to melt the ice to get wet.
These have been known principles of dealing with ice for decades - but freezing rain being a common feature of winter is a relatively new issue in these parts and I think municipalities are still learning to deal with it.
was just saying this to someone on the phone
glad to see i’m not alone. there is so much salt lol
They're not lying
The amount of salt is ridiculous. I ran some errands yesterday and my body, bike, and lungs were coated in a fine salty film.
I can't imagine it's good for my, or others', health.
its nuts
Even more striking when you are coming from outside the city into town. Its too much.
I’m on the 3rd floor
and my skylights are covered in salt and I’m waiting for it to rain. Someone in this administration must hold stock in road salt.
I agree...
it's ridiculous. The only ones benefiting are carwash owners!
Well at least the sidewalks aren't like this
Heck some of them are still full of ice!
can confirm
The turnpike tunnel under Copley was like driving through a cloud yesterday
Maybe they're paid by the ton
Maybe they're paid by the ton of salt they throw out. It's absurd.
Yes! This is so true.
I go from Providence, where I live, which is an icy wasteland, to Boston every day. By the end of my workday and walking to and from the train, my eyes are burning. They SHOULD salt, but perhaps we don't need INCHES of it.
I love what they do in Finland
where they just compact the snow and spread sand on it. There might be reasons that wouldn't work as well in our climate or with our infrastructure, of course.
And yet, there is still ice
And yet, there is still ice all over.
Ice ice baby
Yep, 311 is full of complaints about ice on sidewalks because after a couple of years of little traditional winter precipitation, Bostonians have forgotten how to clear their sidewalks.
Perhaps a different problem
Why are municipalities responsible for clearing roadways but individuals responsible for clearing walkways? Let’s make a deal, if you think individual responsibility is the solution let’s make individuals responsible for clearing the street in front of their house too. But if it’s obvious that won’t work, why does any different logic apply to sidewalks?
Don't be such as a snowflake.
Don't be such as a snowflake.
Can't see
Nice job DPW, must have pulled in a good OT check making city hall think we were getting a ice storm.
City Hall fail
Snowflake?
Personally I think it's wild to call someone weak for not wanting to put up with health and safety hazards.
Someone must have set the
Someone must have set the dial on the salt spreader to 11
311 is peppered with salt
311 is peppered with salt complaints.
Lots of complaints
Probably one of the most saline ... er ... salient complaints of the week.
Somebody's sure feeling salty
Somebody's sure feeling salty! [Shows self out]
I will say
that wearing an N95 helps with a lot of this. -.-
Paper masks work too!
n/t
I don't get it
Why is so much salt used on roads today compared to 25 or 50 years ago?
I had studded snow tires back
I had studded snow tires back then
Why do people freak out about
Why do people freak out about snow instead of just dealing with it, like 25, 50 years ago? If there's any snow in the forecast then everyone holes up to watch Ow My Balls.
WFH did change expectations
To take a break from commuting on bad weather days, but that should mean we all clean snow an ice better, faster and a higher quality.
This is a one time thing
Last week we got 6 inches of snow which turned to rain. Which turned to ice. Lots of salt needed to get rid of lots of ice. You will notice the people who complained about (gasp) ice on a bike path after said storm now complain about efforts to fix the same. Classic Bear Patrol problem and an oh, won’t someone think of the children??
More ice than there used to be
Massachusetts doesn't know what to do with freezing rain and snow that lands, melts, and then refreezes.
I know this because my dad finished his career - after he officially retired from another state - by consulting on winter maintenance projects. As he came from a Northwest state where freezing rain has always been one of the biggest winter issues, MassDOT asked him to stop by and talk to their people about dealing with ice becoming more common (around 2005 or 6) when he was in town.
This is entirely due to the changing climate.
50 Years ago...
Fifty years or 60 years ago streets would have been allowed to become solid blocks of ice before salting began when the storm ended. They were great times to have a Flexible Flyer sled.
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Salt mania in West Roxbury
I was walking down Centre Street, Corey Street and other places and the streets are pure white with salt. Breathe the wrong way, and you get a nice dose of salt in your mouth and lungs, and I can imagine it's not good for those with breathing and heart problems.
ETA: I didn't wear a mask at first, but I certainly did the next day.
I'll bet surgical masks....
>> it's not good for those with breathing and heart
>> problems.
...work pretty well (for breathing purposes at least).
They work great!
Surgical masks work fine to keep my lips from getting coated with the compound, preventing me from having to endure that awful taste in my mouth should I lick my lips. I use the same surgical masks from COVID-19 times.
No argument about masks here
When I went outside to clean up some leftover ice on Sunday, I used a paper mask until I went inside; that helped immensely.
And when salt spreading is done...
... the leftover masks should be good for hay fever.
Public Works employee
has to live on Savin Hill. Every mention of snow, there’s literally tons of road salt dumped on Savin Hill streets. Originally I thought it was because of Mayor Mahty, but he’s been gone for awhile.
I swear let me expose this
I swear let me expose this because I thought it was just me. Next to MBTA busyard there was dumped at 3AM til dawn over the past week the mountain of salt no doubt from the Salt Dynasty to the Easterm Seaboard vendor (those in the know the power that certaiin Mahoney Family Legacy has over every salt supply site all over Boston through Maine and then some). I saw that cloud when I was walking home emanating from the mountain of salt next to the busyard. Are there any environmental lawyers out there who are not afraid of the Mahoney Dynasty?. Eastern Salt? It's not normal to breathing in this shit. We're told not to ingest salt for health reasons by the medical experts. What about breathing it ??
The more salt they spread the more $$$$$ they make.
Road salt is a cash cow.
They have to use the salt pile by the end of winter or they don't make more money next winter. I feel bad for vehicle owners who have their cars and trucks rust out 100X faster than normal.
There is no environmental rule controlling them from dumping it in tons and tons so they let the salt fly and let the money role in.
I feel assaulted by the amount they put down.
Its toxic!
Read about how bad that road
Read about how bad that road salt is to the ecosystem and your health. Is our mayor going to allow this? Remove your salt mountain which isn't even covered over at the busyard at Forest Hills. The answer is blowing in the wind. At least cover it so it's not blowing everywhere. Humans fucking up the earth and water as usual. Fuck u Eastern Salt.
yup
I agree. I was walking around here in Chelsea land and the sidewalks are like walking on white dust. Its so gross.
Do we really need this much salt?
I can't help but think how this is leeching into the ground. It cannot be good for the environment, especially at the amount that is put down.
I'm not a fan of road salt
I'm not a fan of road salt and when I was involved in city government I hated paying for it more but we get lots of salt like this when we get lots of random sleeting ice or snow on slightly warmed pavement. On multiple occasions this winter I've got out and had a hard time on side streets because it got slippery fast.
I've encountered a good number of people this year who have fallen from slips.
When it snows two feet and isn't a wet mess snow can mostly be pushed out of the way or compacted. It's when it just keeps dropping ice down that you need more salt. We also don't notice the salt when there's snow because they are both white and the snow holds it in place and then melts away.
There's lots of other ice solutions out there but until that transition happens we are blind to have this buildup every so often.