March 1st, 2018: Iceway

[xoxoxoBruce]

In most chilly climes the government, shopkeepers and homeowners spend considerable time keeping their
walkways free of ice. They use sand, grit, ashes, and salt by the tons and tons and tons.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, said icy sidewalk? Put on your damn skates.
But after they ran that up the flagpole there was backlash, I imagine led by insurance companies and
liability lawyers… uh barristers.
But then some people liked the idea, so being Canadians they compromised.

To gear up for the season, the vehicle dumps between 60 and 80 truckfuls of water—enough to flood park trails and turn them into winding skating paths speckled with colorful light installations come nightfall. The result is ice up to 12 inches thick—and something akin to a giant, winding backyard ice rink for the entire city.

And at night the light them up.

Gibbs dreamed up a version of the frozen trails concept as part of his master’s thesis in landscape architecture at the University of British Columbia. His idea, which he christened the “Freezeway,” involved even more frozen paths—enough glassy arteries that Edmontonians could strap on some blades and skate to work. That wasn’t quite feasible, but the city adapted the project, named it the “IceWay,” and has paved two frozen paths through parks. There’s a three-loop trail around Victoria Park, a one-and-a-quarter mile path through Rundle Park. The project is growing: Angie Blades, a project coordinator for the City of Edmonton, estimates that the Rundle Park route, which the city piloted last year, is 80 percent longer this season.

So the city saved money, right? Silly bunny...

The trails demand daily upkeep, hence the trucks going about their freeze-friendly business. Starting around 5 a.m., staff sweep and plow the route, removing any dustings of snow that tumbled down overnight, and smoothing any shavings or grooves from the prior day’s skating. They then flood the route four or five times to freshen up the surface. It’s ready for skaters by 10 a.m.

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