subject: Gritting the Roads in Winter [print this page] Gritting the Roads in Winter Gritting the Roads in Winter
The cold weather has really affected the country, in particular this year, although for the past couple of years it has attacked us with gusto, and roads having to be gritted to avoid car crashes and shops and businesses getting closed due to staff being unable to get to work.
But what is the cost to the environment in the UK? As well as the horrible grey sludge that we see everywhere and the hazards to our bones as we slip, it seems that as well as plants not surviving in the harsh weather conditions, we may have caused the death of a large amount of the trees too. The salt used on the roads during the cold snap has starved trees of moisture, and the roots that are not used to that amount of salt have been poisoned, causing the trees to slowly die.
Evergreens like the conifers some houses use to line their boundaries for privacy and in defence against burglars are the worst affected by the salt, and we could see a serious decline in numbers of these, meaning that we will have to use something else to line our gardens if the harsh weather continues.
But gritting salt used on the roads is the cheapest and most widely used form of gritting tool in the winter, so how will be protect the countryside as well as keeping the roads safe for us to drive on in the increasingly common icy winters? Sand is an option that has been suggested by scientists, as this should have no affect on plants and wildlife. It is also believed that the water caused by the melting of salt grit is poisonous to some birds and other wildlife that we are used to seeing in the winter.
If you are driving a car or vehicle in the UK then make sure that you have a Car Insurance policy as it is a legal requirement in the UK.it is cheaper to go online for these policies as it is often cheaper to purchase them here and it will also save you some time.
