Posted on 05/04/2007 4:07:43 PM PDT by Rodney King
Small mirrors hung alongside a major highway in Oppland County are proving highly effective at keeping wildlife off the road and preventing accidents. Moose aren't the only animals being spared.
Moose wander onto roadways in Norway much too often, as do other forms of wildlife.
The use of mirrors has been so successful at eliminating collisions between animals and cars, reported newspaper Adresseavisen this week, that the national railroad agency Jernbaneverket is interested in adopting the practice to keep wildlife off train tracks.
The mirror idea came from Mentz Skjetne, who drives emergency vehicles himself and knows the financial, human and wildlife costs of collisions between animals and vehicles. He has also seen first-hand the effect that light has on animals, how it scares them and makes them run away.
Skjetne figured that hanging simple mirrors along the road would reflect passing headlights, bounce the light into the forest and keep wildlife away from the road before the vehicles pass.
Mirrors were strung up three years ago along a 500-meter stretch of the busy E6 highway at Krokan, north of Oppdal. The mirrors dangle freely about six meters from the road on both sides and move with the breeze.
Not a single collision involving vehicles and wildlife has been recorded in the area since the mirrors were hung.
"I would never have dreamed that the number of animals hit by cars and trucks would go from 25 to 30 a year to nothing," said Skjetne.
He was quick to stress that the most effective means of avoiding collisions between animals and vehicles remains the clearance of trees and bushes away from roadsides. But the mirrors seem to be a major deterrent as well.
"The results far exceed what we had hoped for," said Arild Hoel of Oppdal County. "If you look at the overall economics of this, the mirrors are worth their weight in gold, not least in relation to the injuries we avoid."
Aftenposten English Web Desk Nina Berglund
But do they stop the moose from biting my sister?
Are they narcissistic? I know, I know, they bit your sister.
Got cheese?
No more pictures of the moose in the back seat. We used to get about a dozen a winter on the road, but lately the moose are scarce, so it’s probably not worth the trouble.
That must only work on Norweigen wildlife. In Texas, they just stare transfixed on the light.
Bortsett fra gjøre de opphøre det moose fra skarp meg søster?
They tried this (dangling mirrors) on a section of highway in NJ, very near to where Gov. Corzine crashed. It’s the densest forest west of the Mississippi. Lots of deer.
The deer did avoid the mirrors. BUT, because the NJ DOT had to pay union wages to install the mirrors, it was deemed more expensive to place the mirrors on the highway than to have county public works employees scrape up the deer carcasses.
Gotta love this state.
When did they move New Jersey? Great idea!
“Does this mirror make my antlers look fat?”
Yeah, I think I had the map upside down.
Well, go far enough west of the Mississippi and you’ll get to New Jersey. Eventually.
Is that a veiled threat against RINOs? Stop that! ;-)
In Alabama, the deer just graze on the side of the road and watch folks just pass by. I’ve seen as many as 35 deer at one time on US 231 just south of Montgomery. This was around dusk. I hit two deer at once on Christmas eve in 1995 just north of Dothan, again on US 231.
Yeah, it really stuned her beeber, but it wasn’t that hugh nor series.
I'll tell you how effective they are...I have been thinking of getting those whistles on my car...just thinking about them has eliminated the threat from deer, rhinoceroses and even giraffes!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.