PIGS! What kind of a "human" pig does it take to oink up some of our beautiful roads?

I used to laugh at NYC using garbage trucks to plow the roads but I suppose it might make some sense depending on the expected snow falls. But then I heard Denver does it too. Yeah we have big trucks and graders and piles of sand and salt so we just wait a day for the roads to be cleared. If I had to rely on the garbage guys (won’t mention their name), they seem to go back to bed for one inch of snow or anything below zero. They aren’t government though, we hire who we want but I kinda wish I wouldn’t have signed that one year contract again. Just like the airlines, you can’t claim breach of contract when it snows a little.

Those may indeed help with dealing with the trash removal. But it is the mentality that causes the trash to be thrown that needs to be addressed. And as long as there is a set of people that care about nothing other than themselves, nothing will change much. And it seems like these self-centered, selfish pigs are breeding at an alarming rate.

That’s what road salt is for. But icy roads are common, especially on a very cold (near 0) and a light snow before salters can get out. We also get ice storms here. Not easy, but you can drive on it… Just try to avoid hills. Traction control is also great for handling severe ice.

Well, don’t forget, where it is a common occurrence, people have adapted to it. Zero traction is relative. When you have winter/ice rated tires and/or studs, well, that person is going to be able to travel in conditions that someone unaccustomed and ill prepared for cannot. There does come a time where it makes little sense to venture out. Risk v reward kind of assessment…

2 Likes

Well, there’s also the issue with what was once thought to be the right thing to do but we know better now. Case in point-

1 Like

Sorry Mike, but zero degree nights are not when salt should be used. From somebody who has lived in extremely severe winters (huge ice and snow amounts), I’ll tell you that salt should not be applied to roads in temperatures much below 10 degrees. It actually makes them icier and more hazardous.

From somebody who has, on more than one occasion had to drive on glare ice covered roads (think: freezing rain), I’ll tell you that it can be done, at very slow speeds and probably at greater peril.

I’ve had times I’ve traveled by employing tactics such as extremely slow braking and steering with barely ever touching the brakes.

Other times in zero traction conditions, I’ve resorted to driving with passenger side tires off on the gravel shoulder of highways in order to make headway. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

I try to avoid that type of driving if at all possible, but it can be accomplished, trust me.
CSA
:palm_tree::sunglasses::palm_tree:

Don’t disagree and is kind of what I meant. Preparedness (equipment, snow tires, etc) is a big part of it. I’d be silly to buy snow tires for 2 days out of the year. Makes more sense just to close the schools, etc than to invest in equipment to prepare for something that rarely happens.

And of course, the more experience you have driving in snow, the better you’ll be at it. To a point, anyway. There’s only so much you can do as far as driving habits, I’d think. Slowing down would be the first priority. Followed by no sudden movements! I have noticed some folks tend to want to slam their brakes as they approach a bridge. Slowing down is good. Slowing down suddenly can cause some issues!

Absolutely. First thing my Dad taught me about driving in the winter, avoid sudden changes in either speed or direction…Also agree it doesn’t make sense to have extreme weather capability if you’re only rarely going to see those conditions. FWIW, they’ve taken to closing schools around here even on days where it wouldn’t seem necessary. Risk aversion is the primary driver as far as I can tell. Not like the old days… :smile:

2 Likes

Ice from freezing rain is the absolute worst. We don’t get much of that in Minnesota though-gotta go a little more south for that. I do remember though on December 1 about 1978 heading home on the interstate, the rain turned to ice in about a five mile distance. There were at least 70 cars strewn in the ditches. I was down to 10 mph and crawled off the road to a cafe to hole up. A few cups of coffee waiting for the salt/sand trucks. Yeah low gear, 10 mph, no posi-traction, no sudden moves, and sheer luck.

In Dallas in the late 1980s, we got snow days because of utility curtailment. The school district had a deal with the local utility companies that they would close school on days when utilities would be in high demand, particularly the coldest days of the year, even though we only had an inch or two of snow.

It was the damnedest thing. Having just moved from Buffalo to Dallas the previous summer, I walked two miles to school though 1" of snow, only to discover nobody was there. I couldn’t believe they canceled school for 1" of snow. Then I discovered the real reason school was shut down, to save on utility costs.

2 Likes

In the last couple of weeks the local schools have lost 8 days. Some due to 29 below and wind, and others due to snow. The last time, it was an afternoon surprise and the buses had to return to school with the kids. There is a reason why schools close. A 15 year old is one thing, but how about the younger kids? I don’t blame them for closing and sometimes they just don’t call it right, but none of us do. I made the mistake of going down to get something to eat before the roads were plowed and was lucky to make it back home-less than two miles. Woulda been a good time to finally try out the AWD but took the other car. Getting stalled in a storm is life threatening around here.

Maryland started brining the roads instead of spreading granulated salt. It seems to work well. This can be done a few days in advance and starts melting the snow and freezing rain as soon as it hits the road. NH and NY may do this already, but it’s new here.

I think they have tried beet juice and some other concoctions too around here. As a kid though, they never seemed to spread salt, they just used sand, but now DOT has been forced to adopt a dry road policy with all the extra traffic and new generations of drivers.

Very correct! Sometimes less is more. I learned something about that when I took flight instruction.

Another way I handle driving in nearly impossible conditions, although it sounds silly, is get completely comfortable. Since warming the car sufficiently to keep ice from reforming on windows has already transpired, I sometimes remove my coat and/or hat, even though it could be very cold outside.

Then, what seems to some as counterintuitive, a driver must RELAX, no white knuckle driving allowed. Panic has never been a useful driving strategy. I guess experience with bad weather driving and knowing how cars react to control inputs by the driver under a multitude of various conditions are factors that allow driver relaxation. Total concentration and perceiving subtleties in feel, sights, and sounds are mandatory, as well as a calm, reasoned plan for reacting to any changes.
CSA
:palm_tree::sunglasses::palm_tree:

2 Likes

The “ice storm” that occurred around 1994 or so that I referred to earlier was the worst I’ve seen in this area. Some combination of snow, then rain, then freezing rain on top. I don’t remember exactly. It looked like snow on the ground, but it was hard and slick like ice. The ice stuck to the tree limbs and they broke under the weight. Power lines down, etc. They actually had FEMA grant money for the clean up. I was in a rural area (even for Mississippi) and we were without electricity for about 2 weeks. I wouldn’t drive on that. Whatever combination of precipitation it was. What a mess!

That’s good advice.

My method for driving in snowy and icy conditions involves not caving in to peer pressure, and staying in my comfort zone.

Don’t like how slow I’m going? Feel free to pass.

Don’t like that I’m leaving a large gap between my car and the car in front of me? That’s a shame, but I’m going to drive my car; you drive yours.

All the idiots who drive on ice as if it’s 80 degrees and sunny can have fun, but I wasn’t raised to be a lemming.

3 Likes

Why did littering turn into Winter driving?

When we get on a roll, we often digress, especially when complaining about other drivers.

1 Like

Well beet juice on the road in the winter is kinda like littering.

In NJ, there is sort of a hybrid approach. The major state highways get brined, but on entrance and exit ramps they still put down a heavy application of salt. Towns and cities vary–some have gone to brining, while others still rely on salt.

The township where I taught for several decades was run by people who… almost… got it. Apparently they heard about the use of sand on the roads in order to improve traction, and while there was no local source of sand, there were the local “clay pits”.
Yup!
You guessed it. For many years, they would spread dry red clay on the roads, which simply resulted in incredibly dirty snow and ice, with no improvement in traction.
:roll_eyes: