If you have been living in Prince George you may have noticed dead animals in the ditch on the 3.1-kilometre stretch between Yellowhead Bridge and Boundary Hill.
This infamous spot is a frequent wildlife crossing location. Even more worryingly, the 3.1 km is almost pitch black at night due to a lack of streetlights, making wildlife collisions even more likely.
This is worsened when dangerous weather conditions like fog roll in. Drivers have reported near-zero visibility when driving in fog at night on the stretch.
A collision with a deer on Nov. 28 saw Natalie Anthony, along with other bystanders, divert traffic and stay by the deer until it succumbed to its injuries. However, just a few hours later, another deer was struck and killed on the same patch of road.
The next day Anthony started an online petition, addressed to B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. It seeks to address the lack of visibility at night, the lack of roadside fencing for wildlife and generally to increase safety along the stretch.
The petition brings together photos showing areas of concern and wildlife collisions. It also has accounts of travellers who have hit wildlife or seen wildlife be hit.
Since the petition started on Nov. 29, three deer and a moose have been hit crossing the road, with many more unconfirmed reports of deer and moose collisions in the same timeframe coming from social media posts talking about the petition.
One anonymous commenter on the petition shared this as their reason for signing: “This area is poorly lit and needs better signage. It's never improved since I've lived here. It saddens me to see how much wildlife has been hit over the years.”
Another anonymous commenter even stated that they turned down a job at the BC Regional Correctional Centre due to the road conditions.
Many more commenters told of times when they have witnessed or been involved in wildlife collisions on Jail Hill.
The petition itself gained more than 800 signatures in little over a week of its start, and more recently in the New Year, the petition has broken the 1,000-signatures milestone.
Besides social media attention and the signature count the petition has caused recent positive change.
Travellers going up Jail Hill may have recently noticed newly installed deer crossing signs installed. These new signs were installed on both ends of the hill on Dec. 16 less than a month after the initial petition was started.
According to the petition, Anthony has been in contact with the Yellowhead Road & Bridge association which has acknowledged the safety concerns and confirmed communication with the Ministry of Transportation to explore installing new lights and signage.
The petition is still ongoing and is currently aiming to break 1,500 signatures. If you are interested in supporting the petition it can be found on Change.org
