Small mammal road signs success

[SeagullSuzie]

Hi Folks, has anyone had any luck getting the small mammal signs onto a highway? Nice person from the council has come back to me and explained that it requires a certain amount of evidence to support the application. Just wondering if there have been any successes and if so, how did you do it? Many thanks, Annie

[Nic]

Hi Annie

I haven’t heard of anyone who has any of these signs, but you might be able to use data from the Big Hedgehog Map https://bighedgehogmap.org/ as evidence. That may depend on whether any fatalities/live hedgehogs in the area in question have been reported to it.

I spoke to someone in my local council (before these new signs were announced, but I imagine there will be similar requirements) and he suggested finding a suitable location, where there weren’t too many other road signs (I believe the trend is towards reducing unnecessary signage), where it was safe, i.e. possibly not on a bend, etc. basically a suitable location. But you might want to stress the danger to other road users (such as cyclists) of hedgehogs dead or alive being on the roads, which may be considered to be as important as the hedgehogs. But really, do the leg work so that the council’s work is minimal (important in these days of cuts to local authorities).

At the time of the conversation, it was a question of a possibility of a temporary sign and I didn’t think there was a suitable site for that sort of sign, so didn’t pursue it. Also road fatalities of hogs were low so it seemed the area wouldn’t be considered a priority.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

[SeagullSuzie]

Many thanks for the reply. Not easy to get the documented evidence the council require to put up these signs. Not enough data on the Big Hedgehog Map for the area I am requesting. I have stressed the danger to road users too. I’m going to approach the local Wildlife Trust to see if they are able to help. It’s a difficult one as the decline in hedgehog numbers in this area is noted by all the residents, proof of activity of hedgehogs in the area has also reduced, so it looks like we don’t have enough to merit the signs. However if we knew then what we know now, we could have collected great data to support the need for these signs. I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.

[Nic]

Hi Annie

I know these things aren’t easy. If there are a lot of people who have anecdotal evidence, and they wrote it down, maybe that would help. Or, if you’re really keen you could produce some sort of a survey. Of course, it would be relying on people’s memories, but maybe better than nothing. Probably of most importance in this case is whether local people have been seeing roadkilled hedgehogs.

But it does show the importance of people reporting hogs to the Big Hedgehog Map. Alive and dead.

Meanwhile, if you are talking about hogs to people, the most important thing everyone can do for them is to link their gardens with hog holes. That way there is less need for the hogs to cross the roads in the first place because they would be likely to have more suitable habitat without having to so much.

Good luck.

[William]

Going on past experience, it is not easy getting road signs erected on housing developments. Usually as there is insufficient space. Where I live we asked the council for some road signs, what for is immaterial as it is road signs. Here it is not the council who decides but the Higway agency, they are responsible. So they came and had a look and there were no suitable places for them. Cars must see them so they cant be half on the pavement and half on someones garden. The actual sign that is on the pole. If you look at major roads, they are placed well back from the traffic so as not to cause damage. That was our experience anyway. But signs could be done in white on the road itself, but I don’t suppose they have thought of that.

Willpar.

[Nic]

Hi Annie

I came across this recently, which you might be interested in:

https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/driving-hedgehogs-to-extinction/

[SeagullSuzie]

Hi Nic
Thanks for all the suggestions and link to this survey. I quoted everything I could and with supporting notes from neighbourhood folks, PTES and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Used this survey too, but sadly the only criteria Highways will accept is data confirming road traffic accidents involving humans and animals. So this survey, as interesting as it is, will not help support any application for the small mammal road signs.
I think it is unlikely that many roads will be suitable for the signs.
I’m going to write to PTES and BHPS as they were the organisations that met with the Transport Minister to discuss the signage.
All the neighbours on both sides of this main road are doing everything they can for hedgehog habitat and we have created highways to try to deter them crossing the road.
It’s no coincidence that the peak in hedgehog activity in July matches the height of the tourist season in NYorks and this main road is a very popular route out to the Yorkshire Dales from our small town, and caravan parks along the River Swale.
I honestly don’t think we can sustain our tiny local hedgehog population much longer, yet we have such a wonderful habitat for them.
I’m asking everyone I know to use the map and especially to report the dead ones this year.

[Nic]

Hi SeagullSuzie

So sad that you have been meeting obstacles all the way. It seemed so promising when we first heard about the signs, but it seems it’s almost impossible to get one.

But it sounds as if you have been doing a great job getting people motivated to help the hogs, so hopefully some good will come from that and maybe not so many will want to cross the road. We can only hope!

[Annker]

Hi SeagullSuzzie, Nic and William. We all knew this would be an uphill struggle. I had the support of my mp (sadly lost his seat) who chased this up with the government minister who first broached this idea and had to be chased a bit to get it through, which it was. My then mp sent an email to our county council and I applied for the signs. This has been Completely Ignored. Not one word back.
The cost of road signs is beyond belief, I don’t see the rational for it. Anyone who’s asked for a “no ball games” sign will surely know how mush money it costs the council.
It is illegal to put your own signs up on a lamp post, otherwise I would have done it myself. Oddly, landlords advertising homes, fun days, cycle rasing and marathons seem to get away with tying tatty bits of paper to lamp posts with cable ties.
It’s a shame, as I’ve seen some very nice signs being sold by hedgehog st, or the h something something (sorry can’t remember the letters) it’s a pic of a hedgehog in a red triangle.
I suppose we could bombard county council Highways with requests and offer to go away if they let us put up our own, ones that weren’t hand made but bought…… Best wishes.

[Author]

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