Research Looks to Reduce Moose-Vehicle Collisions
Prince George, B.C. – Years of research on indentifying moose-vehicle collision hot spots, is to be published in the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.
UNBC Senior Laboratory Instructor Roy Rea crunched the data to identify 29 moose-vehicle collision hotspots in northern B.C. and then examined each location to see if they had anything in common, all in an effort to reduce the number of such collisions.
Although the article relies on Wildlife Accident Reporting System data collected between 2000 and 2005, Rea says the factors which are important in identifying moose collision hot spots in 2000, are still important today because the things that are attractive to moose should stay the same.
Here are some of the factors that contribute to creating a moose-vehicle collision hot spot:
- If the highway cuts through a black spruce bog, or a swamp,
- if you have a highway that cuts through mixed coniferous deciduous forest rather than just pure coniferous or pure deciduous forest
- If there’s an area along the highway that has a pooling of de-icing salts that they use in the winter roadside mineral licks can form
- if there’s lots of moose browse along the roadside( willows) versus grasses, sedges, or rushes
The article recommends government review its wildlife collision data every 5 years or so because conditions change. For example, an area where there may have been moose in the past, may have been logged, so the moose are no longer in that region. “You need to be flexible” says Rea “You need to adapt your warning signage to wherever the collisions are taking place, so review it often, review it properly and move signs to where the collisions are taking place. That also means removing the signs which are no longer relevant. You don’t want to desensitize drivers to signs that have been up for 30 years and you never see a moose there anymore.”
Comments
Pity the poor animal rarely does anything good happen to him in the realm of urban legends. If he isn’t the object of some unfortunate mishap, he’s being treated cruelly, causing a calamity, being unceremoniously disposed of, or forming the main course of someone’s meal. And when the animal’s turn to be the star of the story comes, it’s usually because he’s attacked some unsuspecting human being who decided to over take the area they live in.
I didn’t write this but it fits the situation thank you to Snopes.com
probably written by some olive hunter, looking for that elusive olive in the bottom of his/her martini glass. I also question these people who do venture north there awareness and driving capabilities, oh so many times I have come upon moose/vehicle collisions to witness some lame brain in the ditch only to be passed by this idiot at mach 10! SO remember eraser man people on the coast are beyond HOPE!
The signs are really only a reminder that we have large animals that may come out into the road in BC. Lots of countries and big cities don’t live with these realities.
Everyone that has driven in moose country knows they can pop out onto the road just about any where, any time.
Wow, what bone head came up with this report.
Avoid swamps and mixed forrest, sure, here we are trying to straighten out highways, now this bone head wants to add more curves.
The are increasing the speed limit to 120 km on some highways, and now there going to do research to collisions to wildlife. Brain dead suits sitting behind a desk are making these choices.
Clear summer day going at a speed of 80k up foot hills. You could see a deer on the road 300 yards away the car in front of me runs into it not slowing down one bit…how are you going to fix that.
increasing the speed limits up here would just ensure the driver and moose meet quicker with the same result,,,something dies, only faster
Brush the hwy right of way like they do in the Peace country! There are so many stretches of thick brush along our local hwy’s it’s ridiculous. What does YRB get paid for again?
I was doing 120 and when I looked in the mirror I saw a moose walk out on the road behind me. If I had been going 100 I surely would have hit him. Therefore higher speeds save lives!
interceptor logic???
The drive between Prince George and Mcbride is quite long,( no restaurants or fuel stops) and can lull a driver into state of being inattentive. I’ve also heard this from other drivers. When one spots one of those big yellow Moose warning signs they cause you to come out of that driving lull that can occur on long boring and tedium drives reminding you that there are not only Moose but also other wild animals out there. I think the signs are a life saver for both humans and animals.
I remember the moose sign they had put for eastbound on Hwy 16 about twenty miles west of town. They put it up about 200 yard too late. Most of the moose killed there were right before the sign. They never did move it.
Then there was someone just a couple of years ago, hit a moose right at the moose warning sign heading up the University Way!
don’t know about some of these people!
If you require a moose sign to keep your mind on the fact that there are moose in the north that may come out onto the hwy in front of you while you’re driving, you should stop driving.
Dragonmaster on July 8 2014 2:42 PM “said in part,keep your mind on the fact that there are moose in the north” .
I ask you , are Moose exclusively and only in the “north” in B.C.?
Just where in B.C. does the “north” begin in your world.
What about the deer signs suppose you disagree with them also eh.
Puff, puff, pass!
Why am I not surprised?
They have the same problem in Australia, only with Kangaroo’s.
Guess they use sign’s like Kangaroo Crossing, Look out for Roo’s. Joey’s in the area, etc; etc;
You have taken my last comment the wrong way Cheech furtree!
Seriously, read my comment, then read your ridiculous response to it.
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