# Why Not Heated Streets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788 "2015-02-04T05:40:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/61 "2015-02-07T08:57:19Z")
If heated roads aren’t a viable option (I think solar roadways are, BTW, obviously more work needs to be done), then porous pavements might be. Because the water goes through the surface when it melts rather than being trapped on the surface and re-freezing, the University of New Hampshire suggests that clients/municipalities that use porous pavements can reduce their de-cicing salt usage by up to 77%: > **[UNH Stormwater Center](https://extension.unh.edu/stormwater-center)** > > The UNH Stormwater Center is a dynamic research, testing and educational facility which serves as a technical resource for water managers, planners, and design engineers in New England and throughout the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/62 "2015-02-07T09:39:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I would vastly prefer moving sidewalks, if we are going to spend that kind of money. Just imagine how much faster we could get everywhere! Moving roads/paths would probably be a cheaper way to clear the snow too - switch on the conveyor and deliver the snow to the end, where it can be conveniently dealt with. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/63 "2015-02-07T20:41:06Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > No it doesn’t. > > A cubic foot of ice weighs about 60 lbs. I took the 10lb/ft[sup]3[/sup] from the first website that suggested it as the density of snow. It might be off by a bit, but it’s not off by that much. Ah, oops, misread the metric conversion. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/64 "2015-02-08T12:56:15Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Moving roads/paths would probably be a cheaper way to clear the snow too - switch on the conveyor and deliver the snow to the end, where it can be conveniently dealt with. How about the poor lout who lives at the end of the road?😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/65 "2015-02-09T01:36:36Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > The 334 J/g is the heat of fusion for ice at zero Celsius. It also takes 2.09 J/g degree C to get the snow up to 0 C. True, but since that’s both variable and a significantly smaller factor than the heat required to melt, I decided to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2015, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788/66 "2015-02-09T07:56:46Z")
For what it’s worth, heated sidewalks do exist. Several Norwegian cities and towns, for instance, have them in their main shopping districts. They still need to clear most of the snow away during/after anything more than a light dusting, but the heat clears away the little bit that’s left and stops it from turning to ice. It makes it a lot more pleasant to walk there - otherwise I suspect most of the potential customers would just head for the suburban shopping malls until spring came. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-heated-streets/711788.md?page=3)