CARBONDALE, Colorado — A local crusader for reduced speed zones and other measures along Colorado highways to cut down on wildlife collisions may be getting some renewed support at the state level, but the timing could be a little off.

Frosty Merriott of Carbondale and other proponents for creating wildlife safety zones along dangerous stretches of highways where collisions are more common were unable to line up sponsorship in time for a bill specific to their concerns in the current Colorado legislative session.

“It’s a really good bill concept, but the problem is that his and a lot of other requests for bills came in too late,” state Rep. Kathleen Curry (D-Gunnison) said of Merriott’s efforts in a recent interview. “He has done a great job of getting the issue on people’s radar screen. But I think it’s more likely something we would consider next year.”

Merriott admits it may be a longshot given the intense focus in the legislature on the economy. But he is working with environmental groups to have some protections included in the state transportation bill, known as FASTER, which passed out of the Colorado Senate last week and now goes to the house.

FASTER (Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) is the state of Colorado’s version of an economic stimulus package related to highway and transportation system improvements.

Merriott, a Carbondale town trustee and longtime champion for wildlife safety mitigation on Highway 82 and elsewhere, would like to see some wildlife safety provisions included in the bill.

Monique DiGiorgio from the Western Environmental Law Center indicated in a recent e-mail reply to Merriott that she plans to meet with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Executive Director Russ George on Wednesday to discuss environmental priorities in relation to the transportation bill.

“I don’t know if it’s something we can do, but we would at least like to try to get something in there related to wildlife,” Merriott said.

Driver safety tips to avoid wildlife collisions • Stay alert, especially at dawn and dusk • Slow down to increase reaction time • Scan ahead and watch for movement along roadsides • If you see one animal, look for more • Brake, don’t swerve • Be ready for animals to change direction • Don’t litter (garbage along roadways attracts wildlife) • Obey traffic signs, including speed limits and wildlife warning signs • Don’t drink and drive At night: • Watch for shining eyes in your headlights • Use high beams to improve visibility • Slow down on blind curves • Pass with care (* Source: Colorado Department of Transportation)

‘Long time coming’

Merriott said two incidents last month in which multiple elk were killed in collisions on Interstate 70, including 16 elk killed when they were hit by a semitrailer truck in the foothills west of Denver, and another involving five elk killed on I-70 near Edwards, point up the need for action.

“The thing about both of those incidents is that they were within the wildlife crossing areas that were identified in our previous house bill,” Merriott said. “So, we know where this is happening. It’s something that could have been avoided.”

A bill introduced a few years ago would have lowered speed limits along parts of Highway 82 and other identified wildlife crossing areas around the state, including a nighttime 55 mph limit. It also would have doubled fines for speeding in those areas, and included flashing signs and other warnings for motorists. The bill passed the house but failed in senate committee.

He and other wildlife advocates would like to see future funding for safety fencing, plus wildlife ramps and over- and under-passes in wildlife migration areas.

More sophisticated systems, such as those being used in a pilot program along US 160 east of Durango, where electronic sensors trigger motorist warnings when wildlife are present, may also be part of the solution, he said.

“I’ve been working on this for about seven years now,” Merriott said. “It’s been a long time coming, and to some extent I think people are starting to realize it’s getting worse, not better.”

Although roadkill numbers along Highway 82 between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale are down some this winter, it is an ongoing issue, said Randy Hampton, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

“It’s a constant winter concern, especially in places like Highway 82 and some of the other more accident prone areas,” Hampton said.

He called this winter a pretty “standard year” as far as the number of roadkill incidents. But last year was an anomaly due to the large amount of snow that forced wildlife down to the valley floors.

“We still have more roadkill than is necessary along Highway 82,” Hampton said. “Drivers need to slow down, and keep in mind that 82 is the highway number, not the speed limit.”

Promising data

Merriott acknowledged that it’s hard to make a case for legislation regarding wildlife and highways without evidence to back it up. But that evidence is starting to come forward.

“What’s aggravating to me with this is getting CDOT on board, because they study everything to death,” he said.

A nighttime 55 mph speed limit was implemented along Highway 13 north of Rifle almost four years ago in an effort to cut down on wildlife vehicle collisions. Preliminary numbers indicate the program has been successful, but a final report has yet to be compiled.

According to CDOT Region 3 spokesperson Nancy Shanks, the numbers do indicate a decrease in wildlife vehicle collisions since the reduced nighttime speed limit was implemented in April of 2005; but not just the nighttime numbers.

From July 2001 through March 2005, there were 352 daytime collisions and 873 nighttime collisions on Highway 13, she said.

For the period between April 2005 and December 2008, the number of daytime collisions dropped 25 percent to 262, while the nighttime number during that same period dropped 34 percent to 571.

There could be other factors at play, however, and CDOT is waiting for additional data from the Colorado State Patrol as well as the Division of Wildlife before a final report is put together.

CDOT has requested more data from the State Patrol, including trends in other areas such as US 40 in northern Colorado and Highway 82 during the same time period.

“We also want to take a look at speeds, because we’re not necessarily seeing that people are slowing down,” Shanks said.

“We would like to see this (reduced speed zones) working, I think everybody would,” she said. “But with this or anything else we might implement, we have to make sure we have some data to back it up.

“It’s not prudent to spend more money if we’re not sure it’s giving us the results we’re looking for,” Shanks said.

Even without new legislation, she said CDOT has budgeted about $900,000 this year for more wildlife features on 82, including additional escape ramps and deer guards (similar to cattle guards) near Aspen Glen.

Contact John Stroud: 384-9160

jstroud@postindependent.com