Enviro-nitwits of the day
Seattle’s no-salt policy is endangering lives. It’s just the latest example of enviro-nitwit-ism from greenies in the Puget Sound, who would rather force commuters to risk accidents than “pollute” salty sea water with more salt.
Oy:
To hear the city’s spin, Seattle’s road crews are making “great progress” in clearing the ice-caked streets.
But it turns out “plowed streets” in Seattle actually means “snow-packed,” as in there’s snow and ice left on major arterials by design.
“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.”
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.”
Instead, they’re using sand — which is even more damaging to the environment, as other city officials point out:
“We never use sand,” said Ann Williams, spokeswoman for Denver’s Department of Public Works. “Sand causes dust, and there’s also water-quality issues where it goes into streets and into our rivers.”
End result of this moron policy?
“Sunday was full of car crashes, even after several pleas from State Patrol and local police to stay off the roads.
The State Patrol responded to 157 collisions Sunday in King County. …
Between noon and midnight on Saturday, the State Patrol responded to 246 collisions … in King County.” “Snow: Sunday Traffic accidents by the numbers”
Happy Festivus, Seattleites.
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Trackbacks
- From the “You Must be kidding!” Dept.: Enviro Nuts in Seattle, Washington Refuse to Salt roads! | Political Byline
- Seattle Officials: Environmentalists or Skinflints? « Grand Rants
- Of Salt and Cinders - Holiday Ruminations | NeoConstant
- Ace of Spades HQ
- Bent Notes » Blog Archive » Those wacky Seattle greens prove once and for all that human life is way down their list of concerns
- YES! New level of PC stupidity reached! « The Daley Gator
- Leaning Straight Up » Seattle becomes the eco laughing stock of the snow covered world
- ButAsForMe! » Enviro-nitwits of the day
- BelchSpeak » Post Topic » Darwinism In Action: Seattle Refuses to Use Salt to Melt Icy Roads
- Environuts Create Ski Slopes Out of Streets | Pirates! Man Your Women!
- Obama, Blagojevich - Snow Job In Seattle: « Riggword Weblog
- Seattle’s salt-free snow response raises hackles | csmonitor.com
- Michelle Malkin » First Emily Latella award of 2009
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Categories: Enviro-nitwits
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Of course that will change when libtard busnessmen start screaming about how their income keeps going down because customers can’t reach them or how they can’t get Fed Ex to bring in stuff they need….
Also anyone who truly has lived in the Northwest a long time would never buy a new car unless undercoat has been applied to the car’s underneath to protect it from our wet seasons, and if you are worried about salt corrosion anyway clean/wax it regularly…so salting the roads should not be an issue
When the snow starts melting, maybe the environuts will have the government declare Seattle a wetland. No more Seattle. Anyway, the local government, voted in by the residents, feel a few fish are more important than the voters’ lives and welfare. Maybe they haven’t figured out that fish don’t vote; the ones wrecking their cars and health do.
So, let me get this straight…
The environuts stopped Seattle from salting the roads yet they also hate the so called gas guzzling 4WD SUVs and trucks which are needed to be able to drive on the above mentioned unsalted roads…..
In Mass this past weekend we got hit with two big, messy snowstorms. While my daughter and I were out Christmas shopping I asked her how many Smart cars were on the road….
Answer: none
Have you ever heard of a “car wash”???
Reminds me of a few similar persons on a certain Airport. They would rather “save” a few trees and risk the lives of hundreds and a multi=million dollar aircraft.
I went Christmas shopping a few days ago in Coeur d’Alene Idaho with 27 inches of snow on the ground. You just need to slow down. What a bunch of Seattle wusses.
GEES!
So, this is all to prevent salt from getting into the Puget Sound? Anybody taste the Puget Sound lately…IT’S SALT WATER!
And doesn’t all of this encourage the use of gas guzzling 4WDs? How about a photoshop of a Prius with a snowplow!
The governments 1st priorty should be the safety of the people, not the environment. When my city decides it is not politically correct to do that, I will be relentless in changing their little minds.
For the good of the rest of the country, I think it’s time we put a fence around Seattle. We must keep the contagion from spreading.
Life is tough. It’s tougher when you’re stupid.
Slick roads, accidents every couple blocks, police unable to quickly respond to calls, sky-high insurance rates, polution from the sand, … but, Hey! The coffee is good!
way too late for that…the country will become Detroit…look at the places where liberals rule…disasters…
coming soon to a country near you!!
it was fun while it lasted…
Bingo!
bilgerat, you get the Gold Star.
The joy of being an enviro-nitwit:
You are never held accountible for the tripe you spew.
How about some lawsuits, Seattle. Start suing your local government and their economic advisers for creating this mess and to pay for damages.
Come on Seattle. All that coffee should be keeping you awake and alert to the crap they are feeding you.
They just need to use sea salt. From the ocean, to the ocean. And from the taxpayer’s wallets.
Unfortunately, I live in this greeniac-infested city and they ARE making our streets more dangerous. This is so dumb. I liked the idea of suing the city…especially after Mayor Nickels has decided to ban guns on city property via executive order. We should build a fence around these cities – but only after us sane ones get out!
Every storm drain in a twenty mile radius of Seattle that is anywhere near a creek has a salmon stencil painted on the street next to it!
The salmon are so important that you can only fish for them on only a few special days (depending on type).
Yet the same people that want them protected also want the sea lions protected that feast on them by the hundreds outside the locks and fish ladders!
The automatic legal standing of environmentalists is ruining this country. The human race cannot exist without using and exploiting our environment, therefore we too deserve automatic standing.
All environmentalists should be sent out into the wilderness, stripped of anything obtained from the environment and see if they can survive overnight!
That would shut them up!
IT IS TOO!!! Please dont mislead the tourists into a death trap. Cliffs are everywhere. And avalanches. Tourists need to stay far away where it is SAFE. We can only wish we had as good of weather as Buffalo. Its a special breed of people that can live in Denver and only ones with special winter survival skills.
And the sun…. the sun never shines either. Seattle has more sun worshipers than Denver.
Here’s another enviro-nitwit idea:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/24/MNIR14PSQF.DTL&type=green
As long as there is money to be made, so-called enviromentalists will be there with their con games. The MSM, meanwhile, caters to the scams.
Its been dumping snow for the past several days here in Colorado. The ski report was 39 inches over the past 72 hours at 6AM but it never stopped all day long. Loving it!
(but seriously – and the other posts were in jest.)
Sigh…. I spent my afternoon after getting off the snowboard slopes pushing tourists vehicles out of the parking lot. Hey people, my two friends and I arent the only ones capable of helping others out here in the world!!!
I’ve never seen so many tourists just drive right off of mountain roads and into snowbanks. Or drive in ice/snow wihout chains, snow tires or even a snow shovel….. jeez. When the government is not the problem, then sometimes you have to take responsibility for yourself.
Looks like the mayor is finally changing his mind.
Gee, I wonder why?
My school tried some “green” ice melter based on leftover stuff from brewing beer. Never really worked well in storms mote than a 1/2 inch. Tey now use it as pre-treat then uses salt afterwords.