Road upgrade, road mortality and remedial measures: impacts on a population of eastern quolls and Tasmanian devils

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menna E. Jones

The impact of road mortality on local populations of wildlife has rarely been quantified. In June 1991, the access road into the northern end of the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania was widened and sealed. This occurred part-way through an ecological study of the dasyurid carnivore guild, during which populations were being monitored. In 17 months, the resident population of 19 eastern quolls became extinct and the devil population, of 39 individuals, halved. Concurrently, there was a dramatic increase in the number of road-kills. The main causal factor was probably an increase in modal speed of about 20 km h–1 and a greater increase in maximum speed. Measures were implemented to reduce the incidence of vehicle/wildlife collisions. Measures directed at people included physically slowing traffic speed (using ‘slow points’) and increasing driver awareness (signs and pamphlets). Those directed at wildlife included deterring wildlife from crossing the road in the path of approaching vehicles (wildlife reflectors), and encouraging escape off the road (ramps across gutters and banks, and pipes for shelter). The ‘slow points’ were effective in reducing vehicle speeds by 20 km h–1. Wildlife used the ramps and pipes. The eastern quoll population was re-establishing within six months, and after two years, had recovered to 50% of its former level. There was some indication that devil populations were recovering.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (14) ◽  
pp. 8154 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Sony ◽  
P. R. Arun

<p><strong> </strong>Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu witness the annual spectacle of mass movement of lakhs of butterflies.  The present paper examines the impact of vehicular traffic on this ‘butterfly migration’ through a survey of butterfly mortality along a road stretch in Anaikatty Hills.  A high rate of mortality due to road traffic was observed during the mass movement of butterflies.  One-hundred-and-thirty-five butterfly road kills belonging to three families, nine genera and 12 species were recorded during the study.  The proportion of nymphalid butterflies among the road kills (70%) was very high compared to their respective share in the background population (39%), indicating a higher road mortality risk for nymphalids.  The conservation significance of the road traffic impact on butterfly assemblage and management options are discussed.</p><div> </div>


2019 ◽  
Vol 262 ◽  
pp. 05006
Author(s):  
Stanisław Gaca ◽  
Mariusz Kieć

Local roads (district roads) constitute an important part of the road network in Poland, making up around 29.7 % (124,945 km) of all public roads. In 2017, 10,578 accidents, which is 35.7% of all accidents in Poland, took place on local roads. These roads are used primarily by regular users who are very familiar with the defects of these roads. This means that the effects of the low technical standard of local roads and the insufficient number of road traffic devices on the safety on the road can be partly compensated for by the fact that drivers adjust their behaviour to the conditions on the road. This hypothesis can be verified through developing dependency models of road safety measures of local roads’ and technical characteristics. The article presents the research carried out based on regression models of accident prediction. The models were developed with the use of the data on the road surroundings arrangement (built-up areas, access), road condition and the extent of signposting, including data on speed limits and overtaking as well as risk exposure variables. Due to the incomplete data on accidents and the small number of accidents, different approaches to the modelling of the number of road accidents were applied.


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
Marek Bogacki ◽  
Robert Oleniacz ◽  
Mateusz Rzeszutek ◽  
Paulina Bździuch ◽  
Adriana Szulecka ◽  
...  

One of the elements of strategy aimed at minimizing the impact of road transport on air quality is the introduction of its reorganization resulting in decreased pollutant emissions to the air. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal strategy of corrective actions in terms of the air pollutant emissions from road transport. The study presents the assessment results of the emission reduction degree of selected pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, and NOx) as well as the impact evaluation of this reduction on their concentrations in the air for adopted scenarios of the road management changes for one of the street canyons in Krakow (Southern Poland). Three scenarios under consideration of the city authorities were assessed: narrowing the cross-section of the street by eliminating one lane in both directions, limiting the maximum speed from 70 km/h to 50 km/h, and allowing only passenger and light commercial vehicles on the streets that meet the Euro 4 standard or higher. The best effects were obtained for the variant assuming banning of vehicles failing to meet the specified Euro standard. It would result in a decrease of the yearly averaged PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by about 8–9% and for NOx by almost 30%.


Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 487-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faraz Akrim ◽  
Tariq Mahmood ◽  
Shaista Andleeb ◽  
Riaz Hussain ◽  
Wendy Jane Collinson

Abstract The current study investigated the impact of roads on native wildlife fauna in Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan. By conducting driven transects over a period of 24 months (March 2012–February 2014), we identified 131 carcasses resulting from wildlife-vehicle collisions or “road kill”, comprising 18 vertebrate species from seven different orders. The Asiatic jackal (Canis aureus; Linnaeus, 1758) was the most common road kill (37.4%), followed by the small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctatus; Hodgson, 1836; 9.9%) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes; Linnaeus, 1758; 8.4%). Road kill incidences included both nocturnal (55.6%) and diurnal species (44.5%). The maximum number of road kills were encountered in the Rawalpindi district area (46.6%), followed by Chakwal (36.6%), Jhelum (8.4%) and Attock (8.4%). The majority of road kills occurred on paved roads (93.9%; 0.009 road kill/km) with significantly fewer occurrences on unpaved roads (6.1%; 0.004 road kill/km). Similarly, 77% (0.009/km) of the road kills were found adjacent to protected areas. The majority of road kills (33%) occurred during the spring (February–April) but less in summer (May–July) and winter (November–January) (19.8% for both). The study provides important data on road mortality of wildlife species in the region bordering protected areas in the Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan, to initiate management and conservation strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuttisak Kummoo ◽  
Jiraporn Teampanpong ◽  
Pantiya Utsa ◽  
Paanwaris Paansri ◽  
Warong Suksavate ◽  
...  

Abstract. Kummoo W, Teampanpong J, Paansri P, Suksavate W, Utsa P, Duengkae P, Prompat S. 2020. Impact of highway on vertebrate roadkill in Nam Nao National Park, Thailand. Biodiversitas 21: 5540-5550. Roads lead to biodiversity loss, primarily through wildlife collisions. This phenomenon is widespread, despite limited attention in Thailand. To reduce road mortality, the roadkilled species and their distributions along the road become a significant component for designing management strategies. We surveyed vertebrate mortality covering 44 kilometers of Highway 12, passing through Nam Nao Nation Park in Phetchabun Province of Thailand for 34 replicates between August 2018 and July 2019. We recorded 1,389 carcasses of 578 amphibians, 540 reptiles, 190 mammals and 81 birds. The rate of wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) was 1.089 ± 0.823 carcasses-km-1day-1, comprised mostly of amphibians. The distribution pattern of WVCs was arranged in spatial clusters. Five wildlife collision hotspots for four taxa groups were identified. Overall, the WVC presence was positively associated with vegetation types but negatively associated with distance to the forest edge, the presence of road barriers and the number of road lane. Concurrently, the numbers of roadkill incidents were positively associated with amphibians more than other vertebrate groups, the night time and number of daily vehicles. Our results suggest that WVC rates on HW12 vary among taxonomic groups, temporal scales and environmental factors. It highlights key hotspots where mitigation strategies should be implemented for biodiversity conservation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Klöcker ◽  
David B. Croft ◽  
Daniel Ramp

Kangaroo–vehicle collisions are frequent on Australian highways. Despite high economic costs, detrimental effects on animal welfare, and potential impacts on population viability, little research has been done to investigate the impact of road mortality on kangaroo populations, where and why accidents occur, and how the collisions can be mitigated. We therefore collected data on species (Macropus rufus, M. giganteus, M. fuliginosus, M. robustus), sex and age of kangaroos killed on a 21.2-km bitumenised section of outback highway over 6 months in far western New South Wales, Australia. The spatial and temporal distribution of road-killed kangaroos was investigated in relation to the cover and quality of road-side vegetation, road characteristics, the density of kangaroos along the road, climatic variables and traffic volume. A total of 125 kangaroos were found killed on the road at a rate of 0.03 deaths km–1 day–1. Grey kangaroos of two species (M. giganteus, M. fuliginosus) were under-represented in the road-kill sample in comparison with their proportion in the source population estimated during the day. No bias towards either sex was found. The age structure of road-killed kangaroos was similar to age structures typical of source kangaroo populations. Road-kills mainly occurred in open plains country. In road sections with curves or stock races, road-kill frequencies were higher than expected. Greater cover and greenness of roadside vegetation at the verge probably attracted kangaroos to the road and variation in this vegetation affected the spatial distribution of road-kills. The temporal distribution of road-kills was positively correlated with the volume of night-time traffic. The probability of a kangaroo–vehicle collision increased exponentially with traffic volume. Results are discussed in relation to the potential for mitigation of kangaroo–vehicle collisions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Fudge ◽  
Bill Freedman ◽  
Michael Crowell ◽  
Tony Nette ◽  
Vince Power

We examined road mortality of wild mammals in Nova Scotia using data from (a) five years of province-wide data on wildlife collisions involving larger mammals, and (b) 20 months of observations of smaller mammals along a 160-km route near Halifax. An average of 2079 White-tailed Deer was reported killed annually on highways during 1999 through 2003, along with 14 Moose and 33 Black Bear. Female White-tailed Deer were more likely to be road-killed than males (by a factor of 1.8), yearlings more so than older animals, and there were peaks of mortality in the late spring and late autumn. The road-kill of smaller mammals was highest in the summer and least in the winter, and the most frequent mortalities were of Raccoon (28% of observations), Porcupine (27%), Skunk (17%), Snowshoe Hare (6%), Coyote (4%), and Groundhog (3%). The standardized kill-rate (number/100 km) was highest on a 100-series highway compared to trunk highways or urban streets, but the rate standardized to vehicle density was highest on trunk highways.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Fuquan Pan ◽  
Yongzheng Yang ◽  
Lixia Zhang ◽  
Changxi Ma ◽  
Jinshun Yang ◽  
...  

In recent years, there are more and more applications of traffic violation monitoring in some countries. The present work aims to analyze the vehicle speeds nearby road traffic violation monitoring area on urban main roads and find out the impact of road traffic violation monitoring on the vehicle speeds. A representative urban main road section was selected and the traffic flow was recorded by camera method. The vehicle speeds before, within, and after the road traffic violation monitoring area were obtained by the calculation method. The speed data was classified and processed by SPSS software and mathematical method to establish the vehicle speed probability density models before, within, and after the road traffic violation monitoring area. The results show that the average speed and maximum speed within the traffic violation monitoring area are significantly slower than those before and after the traffic violation monitoring area. 70.1% of the vehicles before the road traffic violation monitoring area were speeding, and 80.2% of the vehicles after the road traffic violation monitoring area were speeding, while within the road traffic violation monitoring area, the speeding vehicles were reduced to 15.9%. When vehicles pass through the road traffic violation monitoring area, the vehicle speeds tend to first decrease and subsequently increase. In its active area, road traffic violation monitoring can effectively regulate driving behaviors and reduce speeding, but this effect is limited to the vicinity of the traffic violation monitoring. The distribution of vehicle speeds can be calculated from vehicle speed probability density models.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ami Bennett ◽  
Graeme Coulson

Shiny Nematolepis Nematolepis wilsonii is a small understorey tree endemic to Victoria, south east Australia. The species is listed as threatened due to its limited distribution and low abundance. The sole known population, of approximately 400 metres individuals, is located in the Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria. Paired exclusion plots were erected to investigate the impact of antler rubbing and thrashing activities of Sambar Cervus unicolor on Shiny Nematolepis. Sambar rubbing activities removed, on average, over half the circumference of bark down to the cambium of mature trees. Rubbing damage covered a range of tree sizes, with rubbed individuals in significantly poorer health and exhibiting 19% less relative foliage cover than non-rubbed individuals. Saplings selected by Sambar for thrashing had a significantly greater stem diameter and were most commonly situated beside the road. Other forms of damage to Shiny Nematolepis included storm events and biting by Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus, but Sambar pose an added threat, which is likely to result in further decline of this threatened population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Jeky El Boru

Abstract: This research aims to analyze the impact of Janti Flyover Construction toward the growth of layout at Janti Urban Area, including structured space, open space, and linkage. Method used for data collecting are observation, air photograph monitoring, and interview, whereas the analysis method is qualitative description, which is the superimposed method of two layers, that are the layout condition before and after flyover construction. The result shows that the impact of Janti Flyover construction can be seen on building mass (solid), the increasing number of open spaces, including the road network, parking place, and park, whereas the relation between spaces, visually and structurally, can be seen on the growth of buildings which have new shapes and styles, therefore the performance of the overall building does not have a proportional shape. Considering Janti Street at the collective relation, its role is getting stronger as the main frame road network.Keywords: Flyover construction, layout changing, Janti AreaAbstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terhadap perkembangan tata ruang Kawasan Janti, meliputi ruang terbangun, ruang terbuka, serta hubungan antar ruang (“linkage”). Metode pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi, pengamatan foto udara, dan wawancara; sedangkan metode analisis melalui deskripsi secara kualitatif yang berupa “superimposed method” dari dua lapisan kondisi lahan, yakni kondisi tata ruang sebelum dan sesudah pembangunan jalan layang. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh pembangunan Jalan Layang Janti terdapat pada massa bangunan (“solid”), pertambahan ruang terbuka yang berupa jaringan jalan, parkir, dan taman; sedangkan pada hubungan antar ruang ̶ secara visual dan struktural ̶ yakni tumbuhnya bangunan dengan bentuk dan gaya baru, sehingga bentuk tampilan bangunan secara keseluruhan tidak proporsional. Pada hubungan kolektif, Jalan Janti semakin kuat perannya sebagai kerangka utama jaringan jalan.Kata kunci : Pembangunan jalan layang, tata ruang, Kawasan Janti


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