Differences

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--- writing:road_salt [2025/11/22 01:54] – JacobCoffinWrites
+++ writing:road_salt [2025/11/22 04:16] (current) – JacobCoffinWrites
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 === Solarpunk Alternatives ===
-There are several ways to provide traction and remove salt without pouring salt over every paved surface in society every winter storm. The downside is that within the system we currently operate, they're generally worse.
+There are several ways to provide traction and remove salt without pouring salt over every paved surface in society every winter storm. The downside is that within the system we currently operate, they're generally worse. Salt is cheap (thanks to massive industrial salt mines and established transportation infrastructure) and effective. Most of the alternatives are weaker on one or both.
-Depending on weather conditions and temperature, their crews may switch to different mixes of Salt (NaCl) or a Salt Brine, coarse "winter" sand, Calcium Chloride (CaCl), Liquid Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2), or a Liquid Chloride Blend. These new techniques reduce the total amount of salt needed to do the same job, and they eventually supplemented with alternatives such as beet juice, molasses, and agricultural byproducts like grape skin compounds which reduced it further.
- rely primarily on sand, sugar (though this can also cause environmental problems) and the occasional brine when they need ice removed immediately. The big difference is in the number of autoroads and bike paths maintained to bare-pavement conditions, especially during winter storms.
-The simplest solution requires some of the biggest changes: if a solarpunk society can move at a slower pace, accept a snow day or two during and after bad weather, much of the excess labor and resources necessary to keep roads clear and driveable even during severe blizzards can be reduced. Even in winter, the weather changes frequently, and ice on pavement often melts or sublimates on its own once the sun is on it.
+  * Depending on weather conditions and temperature, their crews may switch to different mixes of Salt (NaCl) or a Salt Brine, coarse "winter" sand, Calcium Chloride (CaCl), Liquid Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2), or a Liquid Chloride Blend. These new techniques reduce the total amount of salt needed to do the same job, and they eventually supplemented with alternatives such as beet juice, molasses, and agricultural byproducts like grape skin compounds which reduced it further.
+  *
+  *  rely primarily on sand, sugar (though this can also cause environmental problems) and the occasional brine when they need ice removed immediately. The big difference is in the number of autoroads and bike paths maintained to bare-pavement conditions, especially during winter storms.
+  *
+The simplest answer to this problem is to change the circumstances, but that requires some of the biggest changes: if a solarpunk society can move at a slower pace, accept a snow day or two during and after bad weather, much of the excess labor and resources necessary to keep roads clear and derivable even during severe blizzards can be reduced and the immediate effectiveness of the alternatives is less important. Even in winter, the weather changes frequently, and ice on pavement often melts or sublimates on its own once the sun is on it.
 But this requires an entire cultural shift. In the present, many people are dependent on cars (and thus the road network) for everything from buying supplies to seeking emergency medical attention. When you need to get to the hospital, or when your job won't accept a raging blizzard as an excuse for being late, you need the roads to be clear because you have no choice but to drive on them. This constant rush means the natural world has to conform to our schedules - sidewalks can't be slippery for a day or even a few hours because people have to use them //right now//. Roads have to be clear at all times because there's no alternative, and opting out for safety isn't an option for far too many people.
-This might be different in a solarpunk setting where the pace of life is hopefully gentler. An emphasis on trains and other public transit options (such as [[airships|airships]], [[ropeways|ropeways]], and trams) would mean that many people would have options besides driving. And an acceptance that weather exists and can derail our plans and schedules would mean that many of those who still rely on cars could safely wait for it to pass without losing their livelihoods. Fewer cars on the road mean fewer accidents and less risk for those who have to drive in bad conditions. In fact, the expectation that roads will take a few days to fully clear would likely inform peoples' decisions on where to live and how to prepare themselves. Rural areas often expected to be isolated during winter storms, and [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/index.htm|people often adapted their personal vehicles to meet the conditions]].
+This might be different in a solarpunk setting where the pace of life is hopefully gentler. An emphasis on trains and other public transit options (such as [[airships|airships]], [[ropeways|ropeways]], and trams) would mean that many people would have options besides driving. And an acceptance that weather exists and can derail our plans and schedules would mean that many of those who still rely on cars could safely wait for it to pass without losing their livelihoods. Fewer cars on the road mean fewer accidents and less risk for those who have to drive in bad conditions. In fact, the expectation that roads will take a few days to fully clear would likely inform peoples' decisions on where to live and how to prepare themselves. In the recent past, rural areas often expected to be isolated during winter storms, and [[http://www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com/index.htm|people often adapted their personal vehicles to meet the conditions]].
-This might even extend to accepting that not all roads even have to be plowed, and might be seasonal, open for regular use during summer and fall, and restricted to winter vehicles (such as snowmobiles, including a variety of ski-and-tracked truck-format vehicles), skiers, snowshoe-rs, etc during the winter.
+This might even extend to accepting that not all roads even have to be plowed, and might be seasonal, open for regular use during summer and fall, and restricted to suitable vehicles (such as snowmobiles, including a variety of ski-and-tracked truck-format vehicles), skiers, snowshoe-rs, etc during the winter.
-In cities, people would need to accept that they can be safe in the winter without salt crunching underfoot. This is a fairly new cultural shift, but it's still driven by the need to hustle, even in bad weather, and legal liability.
+Even in solarpunk cities, where driving would hopefully be less of a common concern, people would need to accept that they can be safe in the winter without salt crunching underfoot and that's not easy. This is a fairly recent expectation, and it's driven by a mix of things including legal liability (a bag of salt is a lot cheaper than a personal injury lawsuit) and the present day need to hustle, even in bad weather, that demands that people go out during an ice storm and woe betide anyone who hasn't salted their sidewalk enough. Education is a big piece here, informing people on how salt works on ice, that a heap of dry salt isn't changing anything but the local wetlands, and the consequences of overusing road salt.