The following letter was sent to Transportation Minister Shirley Bond and copied to Coast Reporter.
I am contacting you in regards to the chemical that is been sprayed on Highway 101.
On Feb. 15, road crews were spraying the road with a chemical that is to help stop the road from icing up. This morning (Feb. 15) the temperature was 6 degrees and the local roads were dry. There was no risk of ice or freezing within the next 48 hours, so why are the road crews spraying the road? Is this just a case of eating up this year's budget to get the same budget next year? Is this a look good for highway maintenance because of the Olympics?
What does this chemical do to the equipment and the roads the taxpayers are paying for? What does it do to the fish and marine life, to the stopping distance when it gets on the brake shoes and routers of a vehicle, to the destruction in the decay of the automobile? What is the chemical cost to taxpayers instead of sand and road salt?
I believe the Town of Gibsons has stopped using this chemical due to the high costs. And why can we not go back to clearing the roads when they need to be cleared and maintained, not to be done because someone thinks it may need to be done?
Glenn Laninga
Gibsons
