While travelling through rural Ireland back in 2004, we came across this traffic tie-up. They were well-behaved, but didn't seem in any hurry to cross the road.
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While travelling through rural Ireland back in 2004, we came across this traffic tie-up. They were well-behaved, but didn't seem in any hurry to cross the road.
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We have a similar problem, but on a well-traveled suburban street in the center of a small shopping area. Not cows, but geese!
The town is on Chesapeake Bay, and there is a small undeveloped beach area which is home to a mixed flock of Canada Geese, Muscovy ducks, and Grey and White Geese who are the descendants of farm critters who escaped one way or the other. The flock roams the area, frequently crossing the road, always led by a large Grey, and always in single file (to casue maximum traffic delay). He/she waits for a break in traffic and then leads the flock across to some open areas for grazing. or just for a change in scenery.
They always cross close to a traffic signal, where the Township has posted a "Goose Crossing" sign.
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Same here, but with deer. Missed one by about 10' this morning, which at 50 MPH is just a small fraction of a second. They are so regular at their established crossings that I now refer to the ones I see each morning as The 5:45 Deer.
We live 7 miles off the interstate, and there must be an average of a kill per week on that stretch. Where do they all come from? Things must breed like rats.
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My father told me about a business trip where he had to wait for a cow crossing. But the poor thing was afraid of stepping on the yellow median. She kept trying to hop it, but on each attempt she'd hop with either her hind legs, or her fore legs, but not both.
Finally, after a couple-dozen failed hops, she managed to hop forward a few inches, and the line fell out of her field of vision. Satisfied, she ambled forward past the line she hadn't actually crossed yet.
Dad was apparantly cracking up the whole time.
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If you drive through any rural road in Wales, the chances are you'll get the same sort of situation, but with sheep! Areas to be careful are Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia as the sheep have absolutely no road sense!
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I took the family through a wildlife park once. We had to stop to allow a full grown rhino to cross the road.
Only thing was, he stopped crossing and decided instead to scratch his side... on the front quarter of our car!
After a couple of minutes - itch apparently scratched sufficiently - he continued his road crossing.
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Driving around Yellowstone National Park, you often come upon various animal jams. Sometimes they are from Bison or other animals crossing the road. Sometimes they are just a bunch of stopped cars, with people photographing an animal just off the road (we stopped for a moose and a black bear).
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At a golf course I frequent, I've been held up while a herd of about 30 elk crosses the fairway. They take their sweet time too, because the golf course is in a national park and they know they're protected.
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Elk, bears, bison, rhinos. Pshaw!
Here inthe UK we have TOAD crossings!
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A3521152
Beat that, animal lovers!
John
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John, you just reminded me of something Dad told me when I was a kid. Another business trip to Saint John, one of his first, and he told me that at one point, there were millions upon millions of caterpillars crossing the road.
Dad... ah... didn't wait for them to finish crossing. He said traction was horrible for the next few miles.
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There are parks here (one right in the county where Cleveland is) that will actually close roads when frogs are crossing. (I case I didn't beat it - but we are tiedOriginally Posted by JohnD
)
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There is a section of the New York State Thruway that passes through the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Every year the Dept. of Transportation sets up flashing electric signs warning motorists of turtle crossings. It's not unusual to see cars swerving to miss the little buggers. Apparently enough survive the gauntlet to breed a new generation, but unfortunately, you also see the remains of those that don't.There are parks here (one right in the county where Cleveland is) that will actually close roads when frogs are crossing. (I case I didn't beat it - but we are tied
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Yeah, I've experienced the same thing. One year there was a tent caterpillar infestation and it sounded like driving in the rain.
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