Greens call for wildlife crossings at Glen of the Downs

According to Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, while the erection of prefabricated concrete barriers along the newly constructed N11 dual carriageway is to be welcomed as it will undoubtedly prevent the occurrence of head-on collisions, consideration has not been given to wildlife crossings in the area.

"Given the height of the barriers , they willl not permit small mammals or at least hinds with young fawns to cross the road" says de Burca. "This will cause both a road safety issue and an ecological issue. The failure to allow animals to cross the road unimpeded will undoubtedly lead to increased road kill, as animals which cross onto the road will become trapped in the path of oncoming traffic. This will lead to reduced wildlife populations and inadvertently lead to segregation of wildlife species and loss of genetic diversity within the wildlife reserve".

The Green councillor also claims that trapping animals at the central reservation is likely to cause vehicle damage and possibly lead to more serious road traffic accidents as vehicles try to take avoiding action or collide with animals which cannot continue their crossing and are either forced to return to the opposite side or continue on down the road.

"Concrete median barriers should not necessarily impede wildlife crossing which could be facilitiated by the inclusion of oval openings spaced reasonably close in the barriers" says de Burca. "Whilst the design of these barriers may be suitable for urban locations, they do not appear suitable for rural locations, let alone on a road passing through a designated nature reserve" she says.Councillor de Burca argues that the issue of wildlife appears to have been totally overlooked with regard to this road project.

The Greens have drawn attention to an article in the Irish Times (Monday 18th August) which suggested that the decision to erect the concrete barriers was only taken towards the end of the summer and was not in the original plans. "It was reported that the construction of the barriers allowed the contractor to avoid the imposition of 'late penalties' for a project which is several months overtime" says de Burca. "I am concerned that the decision to erect these barriers was taken lightly as a 'quick fix' and was not given the consideration that it required in the interests of both road safety and environmental protection in this area".

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.