UK: Carbon dioxide caused recent Arctic spell that made it risky to walk on the footpaths?

HIGHWAYS chiefs are to look at the gritting of roads and footpaths as part of their annual review due to the recent Arctic spell.
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Coun Fort said: “A number of residents of Norton, having made it safely across roads in the town, have found they are at risk when walking on the paths.

“Following the difficult conditions recently and in view of the changing nature of the global warming patterns, I had asked the council’s executive to review the overall priority system for road gritting.”

Local News | Seattle refuses to use salt; roads "snow packed" by design | Seattle Times Newspaper

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."

By ruling out salt and some of the chemicals routinely used by snowbound cities, Seattle has embraced a less-effective strategy for clearing roads, namely sand sprinkled on top of snowpack along major arterials, and a chemical de-icer that is effective when temperatures are below 32 degrees.
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The city's patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.

One sample comment of the 181 this story has attracted so far

So we're worried about salt getting mixed in with the Salt Water huh?

Well people, when you are sliding backwards down a hill and out of control you can at least feel good about yourself knowing that you just sacrificed your car to save a fish. I think it is a really great idea in an economy like this to make it harder for people to go to work.

Local News | Tough sledding for travelers, commuters | Seattle Times Newspaper

The most severe snow and cold in a dozen years continued its grip on the Seattle metropolitan area today. Even major highways were covered with snow and ice, and many side streets were virtually impassable.