Since 2000, CAA has been in correspondence with the Scottish Executive about numbers of wildlife killed by vehicles on the City Bypass between Wester Hailes interchange and the Straiton pond. From ad hoc observations, foxes are the main casualties, but badgers, hedgehogs, amphibians and an otter have also been killed as well as crows, seagulls and a buzzard eating carrion on the road.  Fortunately, no deer have so far been killed.

This is surprising, for roe deer use shelterbelts adjoining the road as movement corridors.  t has not been possible to monitor the number of kills, but the conservative assumption of one animal killed per month since the Bypass opened gives a total of around 400. A slightly less conservative figure with
two animals killed per month gives a total approaching 1000. Arguably, the cumulative numbers of animals being killed become even more disturbing when projected into the future.

And this is despite the opportunities for animals to cross the Bypass by three bridges, four underpasses and protective badger fencing along the roadside boundary of Covenanters Wood. Inserting underground pipes of various diameters across the road to provide more opportunities for animals to cross safely is deemed too expensive. So CAA has been endeavouring to persuade Transport Scotland to carry out a trial using small mirrors spaced along the carriageway edges and angled to reflect headlights into the verges. This could deter animals attempting to cross the road as vehicles approach during darkness. The technique has been used by the Forestry Commission with reasonable success on busy roads through some of their forests.

Representatives from CAA and Transport Scotland, including their ecological adviser, met on site in early March to discuss this proposal. There are difficulties in predicting animal movements in relation to their habitats. For example, there is a significant movement of foxes into the urban fringe in search of easy food from rubbish bins. Notwithstanding this. Transport Scotland has agreed to explore the effectiveness of angled mirrors on Bypass verges in the Colinton area and to report back to CAA.  Meanwhile, it would be useful to receive reports of species of animals killed and their locations on the Bypass between Wester Hailes and Straiton. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Duncan Campbell