NL-Outsidethebox [confederation]

>Dear Mr. Byrne:
>
>Thank you for your recent correspondence with regard to moose on our highways.
>
>In my correspondence of November 29, 2005, I outlined the efforts government is taking on this serious issue including our public awareness campaign. In the three months following the start of that campaign, there is a 13 per cent decrease in the number of reported moose-vehicle collisions, and less than one per cent of accidents resulted in severe injuries compared to a historical average of three per cent.
>
>Your comments are duly noted and will be considered as Government continues to look for ways to reduce the occurrence and severity of moose-vehicle collisions.
>
>Sincerely yours,
>
>TOM OSBORNE
>Minister


Dear Mr Osbourne

Thank-You for your reply. I appreciate your response and explanation of your efforts and results to try and deal with this problem.

The more I investigate this problem and the steps taken to curb it the more I am coming to the realization that while fencing and such costly initiatives work they are not the only or in some cases best long term option. From my hunting and watching of animals I am coming to the realization that a viable option might be to clear the right of ways along roads and highways further out so that animals especially the male of the breed don't like to cross big wide open spaces. Also this initiative of widening right of ways would also allow drivers to have a clearer line of sight away from the road to see any approaching animals. This widening of right of ways initiative would be especially poignant for the rural side and access roads where other initiates would never be viable.

Maybe if there was an accepted warning standard like if every car carried a flare or Chem Light which upon seeing an animal in the ditch, lite and threw that flare out near the animal to warn any vehichles of the impending danger. The Flare might even scare the animal back into the woods since animals don't like the smell of smoke. Even if there was an accepted practice like flashing your high beams and putting your emergency lights on to warn other motorists. Even using your horn to warn other motorists. Fire and flares would have to be addressed.

As for widening the right of ways since our roads in NL are mainly two lane the right of ways are half the size as those in the rest of Canada on the TCH which by and large are four lane with twice the open ground for which to see animals and which the male animals are afraid to cross open ground. With the advent of brush cutting heads for excavators the enlarged clearing of right of ways has become much easier than the old method of manual labour. This clearing of the right of ways to a larger area could also be apart of an initiative to twinning the TCH in the future where the traffic merrits it.



Sincerely
Greg Byrne