CDOT testing methods to reduce highway collisions between vehicles and wildlife

[kf6zpl]

(from AMA Rights - News & Notes - March 2007)

 The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says they are trying to reduce highway collisions between vehicles and wildlife.
    Using things like flashing lights and motion sensors are just a few of many solutions transportation experts are considering. According to transportation officials, nearly 200 people are killed nationwide each year in crashes involving wildlife, mostly deer. The collisions cost drivers almost $1.5 billion each year in property damage, deaths and injuries, officials said.
    On US 40 east of Craig, CDOT also installed a series of unusual looking reflectors to create flashes of light at 54 angles, horizontally and vertically, when a vehicle’s light hits them. According to CDOT, the reflected light bounces back and forth across the road, deterring deer and other wildlife from crossing. Drivers can not see the light because of the way it’s reflected.
    CDOT is also testing another project on US 160 between Durango and Bayfield, a system that works like a motion detector system. The system uses sensors buried 10 inches underground on either side of the highway. CDOT says when a deer or other animal triggers the sensor, a large light will go on to let an oncoming driver see there’s an animal on or near the road. The light may also startle the animal and keep it off of the road.
    Meanwhile, an eight state research group recently met in Minnesota to brainstorm ideas for keeping wildlife off the road. Their leading proposal to reduce the accidents from happening involves testing the effect real or synthetic urine from predators such as wolves and coyotes have on deer. Officials say the urine would be put in canisters far from the road, hoping the smell would trigger an instinct for the animal to flee.

[Todd Ockert]

I think this is a good idea, because of the potential for driver deaths from a collision with a deer.

But the other side of the coin here is, we could create areas where the wildlife becomes genitically different on either side of the road with a system like this to keep the deer seperate!  This could happen with any type of wildlife that we keep seperate like this.
Also, more inbreeding would happen in the species if kept seperate.

I can post more on this if needed, but just a little concern about the potential here.

Todd

[kf6zpl]

This is a concept that has been around for a numbe of years.

It originally surfaced as part of the Wildlands Project to establish corridors between habitat areas to address teh genetic differences issues.

It i morphing into a "public safety" issue.

It is something that is going to become part of teh access to recreation areas in the future.

[Michael Forte]

John has anyone addressed an over the road walkway for wildlife, or is that unrealistic?

[kf6zpl]

Yes.  There are several efforts that are doing that in Canada and the US.

US Dept of Transportation does have several planning documents on "how to construct" those types of overpasses.

[Todd Ockert]

In the Mojave, they have tested with areas under the highway to allow the desert tortoise to travel under the road.
They also put up fences to only allow them to use these under the highway passes.
With the desert tortoise being on the endangered list, they are trying to keep as many alive as possible.

Road kill for the desert tortoise is a small factor in their recovery efforts.
In actuallity though, the Raven has had a bigger impact on the recovery efforts then anything else.
The raven population has increased over 1500% in the last 10 years.

Todd