Norway's solution to elk collisions: disco poles

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/11/norway-elk-car-collisions-disco-poles

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North Norway is famed for its midnight sun, northern lights, stunning landscapes and rich flora and fauna, but one of its best-known creatures has been causing problems. Elk, which can grow to more than two metres and weigh more than 600kg, pose a real danger to drivers on the region's roads.

Between 2005 and 2011, 315 people were injured in collisions with the giant deer in Norway. Insurance companies put the average damage to a car at about 150,000 kroner (£15,600). In terms of personal injury, loss of working hours, taxes, hospital treatment and clearing roads, the cost is more like 9.5m kroner for a serious injury, according to the Norwegian public roads administration. Transport officials have long racked their brains for a way to keep elk off the highways and have tried everything from traditional fences to motion-sensing technology to alert drivers.

Fences were effective but at the point where they ended, elk would dart on to the road and the number of collisions would rise, while motion sensors were prone to false alarms from low-flying birds or trees moving in the wind.

Now there is a flashier solution. Henrik Wildenschild, of the region's roads administration, read that LED traffic poles used in Austria to deter deer reduced collisions by 90%. He wondered whether a similar system might work for Bambi's big cousin. "These solar-panel-powered devices, nicknamed 'disco poles', react to car headlights and emit a high-pitched, rhythmic sound and flash LED lights in blue and yellow to frighten elk away," he says. "Since it's the law that headlights must be on day and night in Norway, this should work perfectly. Even a 30% reduction in collisions would be a success for us."

The scaled-up "elk disco poles" are in production and will be installed on four main roads in a trial in November. If successful, they could be introduced across Scandinavia.

"We'd need more testing in densely populated areas," warns Wildenschild. "We're a bit worried about how domestic cats and dogs will respond and don't want to be held responsible for people's pets running off."

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