I was reading an article in the Oct.30-07 Tribune about Guelph’s transit system. It discussed how important it was to keep the buses running properly and it listed a few of the issues that end up taking buses off the road. Some of these issues included graffiti, mechanical problems, and impacts from salt. Well, I have a suggestion for the City of Guelph that would benefit the City by removing one issue that takes buses off the road, and it would also benefit the environment. This suggestion is an alternative to road salt.
The County of Grey and Region of Peel use a chloride slurry which incorporates a bi-product from the sugar beet industry. This bi-product is organic and has residual benefits, (i.e., it stays on the road longer) and has been found by Grey County to have reduced their use of sodium chloride by approximately 20 %. A variety of municipalities are considering changing to this salt alternative. Grey County is located about 1 hour north of Guelph and their winters are colder and they receive more snow than we do. Our winters are getting warmer and shorter and this is a great way to reduce our environmental impact.
Good luck with the continuos issues that arise and please keep the environment in mind when making your decisions. JAL