Iowans who clean up roads urge drivers to pee

[sludge]

From the Omaha W H.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - It's the peak of mating season and drivers are being urged to watch for deer while state and county employees are busy cleaning the dead ones from the road.

Removal of the roadkill isn't a glamorous job.

"If they're splattered all over the place, we'll scoop them up," said Dean Schreiber, a local equipment operator for the Iowa Transportation Department. "Sometimes, all that's left is a hide."

It can be expensive, too.

In 2001, 526 deer were taken to the Iowa City landfill. The state agency is charged $3 for any animal under 140 pounds and 50 cents for every 20 pounds above that.

As of the first week of December, 400 deer had been brought in, said Travis Nitcher, a highway maintenance supervisor for the Transportation Department's Oakdale Garage in Coralville. He estimated that up to 15 to 20 deer are collected daily.

The deer population has gone up 260 percent in Iowa over the last 20 years, while deer-related accidents have risen 160 percent, officials said.

In 1999, an estimated 11,366 deer-vehicle crashes occurred in Iowa.

"Drivers need to be real aware," Nitcher said.

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[Coach]

That's alot of roadkill. If an estimated 12,000 deer-vehicle collisions occur in 2002 at an average of $2,000 damage per collision. That comes up to a whopping $24,000,000 damage, and I think that figure is on the very low side. The actual figure is probably twice that. I would rather shoot and eat them myself and keep the 24 million dollars for some timber with a huge log cabin home.

 

[Little Al]

The thing about road kill that bothers me is how many could have been avoided. I have seen deer in the lights of the car in front of me on several occations and the car's break lights never came on. Did they not see them or just sped on by. I followed a car one day when a doe ran across the road in front of the other car leaving it's fawn behind; I slowed and the other guy kept going and ran over the fawn breaking its legs. The guy was mad at the dumb deer," it should have known it couldn't make it."

Yes there are times when the deer comes from nowhere and it is to late to do any thing about it . How ever if everyone paid a little more attention through the fall and where the State puts out deer crossing signs there probably would be less accidents. Al

 

[scout]

I to find it amusing how the thought of a deer crossing the roadway is totally void in the minds of so many drivers, even here in Iowa.
Funny how the deer get blamed for getting in our way when we pave over thier habitat. We humans cirtainly are arrogant.

 

[CamoMan]

Okay, I'm easily amused . . . Sludge, why is this topic titled: "Iowans who clean up roads urge drivers to pee" ? And if that is really the case, then why do they think drivers need coaching on this ? And what if we're not driving ? Please answer soon . . . I really gotta go !

 

[sludge]

HMMMM, see, let that be a lesson to all of the children out there....

Always proof read! Or, hire somebody to do it for you.

I was in a hurry, just copied and pasted so sumptin is missing.

I guess peeing on the roads would clean them up. It has been plenty dry as of late

 

[KPM]

I think what they are referring to is the pee bottles also called sunny jugs. It looks like he pasted the wrong title to the road kill article. The sunny jugs are a big problem along Iowa roads and the poor people who have to pick them up, especially the adopt a hiway groups which have young kids helping out. Being a state employee myself, I have found loaded syringes with drugs that have been thrown out the window of a passing vehicle, who knows for what reason.