This has been an exceptionally cold winter for most of North America, causing long—and often treacherous—commutes to and from work by car or bus as road conditions range from awful to inaccessible. However, if necessity is the mother of invention, then Edmonton, Alberta, has thought outside the box in getting employees to work in the frigid weather—by planning ice corridors so workers can skate to the office or factory.
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An 11-kilometer “freezeway” will be considered for a pilot project next winter, according to the BBC. This idea is the subject of a Master’s thesis by landscape architecture student Matthew Gibbs, a former Edmonton resident. While Ottawa and Winnipeg facilitate people skating to work on frozen rivers, the freezeway would be the first artificial, sustainable form of skate-to-work infrastructure. And Gibbs is putting a real spin on the project by saying the freezeways would be “an ‘iconic” attraction that would attract tourists.
The freezeway would also help workers:
- Combat winter lethargy.
- Encourage physical activity.
- Promote winter programs and social activities among users.
Gibbs’s enviro-friendly idea is innovative, using buildings as wind blocks, placing rest areas in sunny (and warmer) plazas, and using rubberized curbside skating lanes that can be rolled up and stored away come warmer weather.
The best part? Skating to work is faster than walking!
Hard to imagine this working in the States.
While this is a good idea for remote sites I too do not see this working in an area like Metro Boston. I do have another idea and that is renting 4 wheel RV’s and pick up your essential workers at their home.