Winter safety is job one

The letter by Ruth Bickhardt printed in the January 25 issue of the Mirror urges Highland Park residents not to use salt on their icy sidewalks, claiming that “It’s actually the law.”  I would like to know to which law Ms. Bickhardt is referring.  When I consulted the town’s official website (www.hpboro.com) and clicked on the link for “Snow and Ice Removal,” the document that popped up made no mention of the use of salt on sidewalks.  Instead, it cited an ordinance requiring residents to “Remove all snow and ice” from their sidewalks within 12 hours.  Sprinkling sand or cat litter on the sidewalk, as Ms. Bickhardt recommends in her letter, will not “remove” ice; it will only reduce its slipperiness.  Thus, using sand in place of salt does not comply with the law.

I am myself fairly reluctant to use salt on my walks, since I know that it can harm plants, contaminate soil and water, and damage the concrete as well.  However, if my sidewalk is covered with a sheen of ice that no amount of chipping will remove, I would rather use salt (or a commercial ice-melt product) than run the risk of someone’s breaking a leg.  If Ms. Bickhardt believes that I am not a “good neighbor” because I am concerned about protecting my neighbors from injury, then we obviously have different definitions of what that term means.

-Amy Livingston
Highland Park