A quiet village in Hualien County has become a roadkill hotspot since the main road into the village has been used as an alternative route for the often-obstructed Suhua Highway, the artery linking Yilan and Hualien counties.
An increasing number of wild cats have become accident victims at a section on County Road No. 193 in Sincheng Township (新城), which has seen a higher volume of traffic as the highway undergoes major construction that is expected to be completed in 2017, residents said.
The local wild cat population has decreased from more than 20 to a mere few, despite residents’ attempts to save the cats from becoming roadkill by establishing traffic signs at Kangle Village (康樂) alerting drivers and asking them to slow down, resident Liu Wei-yin (劉維茵) said.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Four signs printed with cat caricatures have been erected and have attracted attention from tourists, but have not been successful in slowing down vehicles, she said.
A cat lover and environmental activist, Liu decided to make the signs after witnessing stray animals die violent deaths when they were struck by vehicles, she said, adding that hit-and-run accidents are not uncommon.
There are no traffic enforcement cameras along the road, despite speed limit signs that set the maximum speed at 40kph, she said.
Resident Hsu Su-chen (徐素珍) said that animals in the neighborhood are often run down by vehicles, but residents save as many as they can.
The signs have some effect on slowing traffic and attracting tourists, she said, adding that she hopes authorities can place greater importance on traffic control to limit noise and disturbance in the village and danger to local wildlife.
Local police said the traffic volume and accident rate around the village has not reached the criteria required to set up speed cameras, adding that large vehicles weighing 15 tonnes or more are not allowed to travel through the village.
The police said that they would redouble traffic control efforts around the village and request transportation authorities assess the need to install more traffic signs and speed breakers.
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