Anyone else find it ridiculous the amount of salt that is put on walkways and roads around campus? We've barely had a centimeter of snow. Not only is this wasting our money, but I assume it is also terrible for the environment.

I suppose its just for liability reasons, but seriously...the only spots you need salt are where there is solid ice.

/rant

Don't you hate when people breathe air, its like HEY MAN... I need that stuff too!

Precautionary measures. Why wait for the snow to fall and ice to form and then have to rush out and salt? It's better to salt now and prevent snow and ice from forming than waiting for it to form and 1) having to use a shit load more just to get rid of it quickly, 2) pose the risk of people slipping, falling, dying, and suing .

Originally Posted by J-Met

liability reasons

Yeah, you pretty much got it. Salt is cheap, lawsuits are expensive. Personally I'd rather the salt, it may stain your shoes a bit, but its nicer than walking through the snow, and it wastes much less money than a lawsuit.

I would imagine its bad for the plant life on campus, but I doubt there's serious environmental impacts.

Supposedly the university has been sued quite a few times, so it's no surprise they shut down stairs and salt like crazy really.

Originally Posted by zombiejesus

Supposedly the university has been sued quite a few times, so it's no surprise they shut down stairs and salt like crazy really.

when I first saw the closed stairs I thought it was a joke....it wasnt, oh mac

Originally Posted by GPat

when I first saw the closed stairs I thought it was a joke....it wasnt, oh mac

Why don't you engineer stairs made out of salt? Game changer, right there.

Originally Posted by zombiejesus

Why don't you engineer stairs made out of salt? Game changer, right there.

Because it would erode away. But then again, you could just relabel it as a wheelchair accessible ramp at that point.

Originally Posted by zombiejesus

Supposedly the university has been sued quite a few times, so it's no surprise they shut down stairs and salt like crazy really.

Ah, that stairs thing bothers me! Just put a lot of salt on it, and that should do it. Not block 2+ sets of stairs :@!

I suppose you would be equally as outraged if and when somebody cracks their head open and dies b/c there salt wasn't put out quick enough.

Want something to be pissed about? Go yell at the retard(s) who turn the SPRINKLERS ON IN DECEMBER AT THE COOTES RAMP. People do well over 70 on that ramp and just last week, it was literally iced over. It's literally a death trap.

I really don't see the big deal. All it does is ****ing rain in Hamilton. And it's kinda cold out. EQUALS ICE.
It's not just about snow.

Originally Posted by lawleypop

I suppose you would be equally as outraged if and when somebody cracks their head open and dies b/c there salt wasn't put out quick enough.

Want something to be pissed about? Go yell at the retard(s) who turn the SPRINKLERS ON IN DECEMBER AT THE COOTES RAMP. People do well over 70 on that ramp and just last week, it was literally iced over. It's literally a death trap.

I really don't see the big deal. All it does is ****ing rain in Hamilton. And it's kinda cold out. EQUALS ICE.
It's not just about snow.

Silly Lawleypops, the reason the water sprinklers were on is because the water needs to be flushed out before winter.

Leaving the water in the pipe will cause it to freeze in the winter, which turns into ice. This cause the pipes to expand. Even worse, the metal pipes are also cold which becomes more brittle, leading the pipes to crack.

When the summer comes and the grass needs water, maintenance will soon discover that the cracked pipe will cause flooding in that vicinity.

THEREFORE they are forced to dig it up and replace the pipe. Depending on the location, if it is under concrete, this will cost McMaster thousands. If it were me, I'd rather get people wet than to pay thousands in repairs.

And now you have it.

*edit*

For shit and giggles, put a bottled water in the freezer. You will see what I mean. Also, when it has enough ice in it, open it up. Be sure to cover your nipples, we don't want them cold now do we?

Originally Posted by Bhaltair

Silly Lawleypops, the reason the water sprinklers were on is because the water needs to be flushed out before winter.

Leaving the water in the pipe will cause it to freeze in the winter, which turns into ice. This cause the pipes to expand. Even worse, the metal pipes are also cold which becomes more brittle, leading the pipes to crack.

When the summer comes and the grass needs water, maintenance will soon discover that the cracked pipe will cause flooding in that vicinity.

THEREFORE they are forced to dig it up and replace the pipe. Depending on the location, if it is under concrete, this will cost McMaster thousands. If it were me, I'd rather get people wet than to pay thousands in repairs.

And now you have it.

*edit*

For shit and giggles, put a bottled water in the freezer. You will see what I mean. Also, when it has enough ice in it, open it up. Be sure to cover your nipples, we don't want them cold now do we?

Yep, because I said that I was worried about getting wet. That was my beef. I wasn't concerned at all with the speeding, the black ice, or the turn.

Originally Posted by zombiejesus

Supposedly the university has been sued quite a few times, so it's no surprise they shut down stairs and salt like crazy really.

High tuition and convenient excuses to sue the pants off of someone seem to have a correlation...

Oh god. So many environmental problems with the salt.

/wrists

Along with liability, they close the stairs and add salt because of the decrease in the number of facility service personal, resulting in an increase of the work load for those who remain.