February 4, 2012 in Opinion, Letters

End studded tire use

Now that snow covers the ground, I kind of miss that jolly ripping sound studded tires make on dry pavement. Although I am being sarcastic, the reality of allowing continued use of such a barbaric product, knowing its destructiveness, is ludicrous. Just as nutty is the proposed SB 6032 that purports to offer a solution by paying for the damage by charging a $5 fee for each studded tire sold in Washington. This would raise a piddling amount equal to 2 percent of the state’s estimated annual cost of $25 million to repair the damage caused by studs to state roads.

This bill has the stink of an appeasement crafted by the industries that benefit from continued use of studs, all in an effort to head off a real solution. The four sponsoring senators should explain!

If there is one issue that all Spokane residents can agree upon, including those who drive with studs, it is the perpetually miserable condition of our roads and streets. I encourage all who concur to encourage our state and local leaders to hold out for the real solution, which is “No studs now!”

P.S. I confess to being a former card-carrying studded-tire user.

Al Payne

Spokane

Five comments on this story so far. Add yours!

liveinfearoftheSPD on February 04 at 9:31 a.m.
Yeah do away with studded tires so everyone can use cleated chains instead. I am sure there will be so much less damage.
Take away studs and watch the accidents and deaths rise.
I guess we could just ban cars for winter months thus saving roads and lives.
SMARTGUY on February 04 at 2:29 p.m.
Where is his check for the damage he has done to our roads?
spokanecommunistparty on February 04 at 10:15 p.m.
See ya in the ditch : )
misjustice on February 05 at 1:04 p.m.
I LOVE my studs! And will gladly pay the fee to use them.
; )
zarati on February 09 at 1:51 p.m.
Has anyonethat still runs studs actually taken the time to research how Studless Snowtires compare to Studded Tires. In most cases the leading Studless snowtires (Bridgestone Blizzak, Michelin X-Ice, Continental Extreme Winter contact, etc) outperform the studded competitors in all but glare ice scenarios and even then the margin is slim. Yet the studless tires FAR Outperform the studded tires in every category but the glare Ice. I am a huge proponent of running winter snow tires in this climate where stopping distance is decreased significantly comapred to All seasons. I am 100% Against studs however. With modern technology, there is simply no need. In certain cities that predominantly get Ice, I can see it, but not in Spokane. I have run both studded & Studless over the years, and unless you have tried a quality winter studless design, dont knock them. They perform incredibly well compared to M&S tires of 5-10 years ago.