Excessive speed concern in Elk Island National Park after bison killed in collision – Edmonton | 24CA News
The tranquility of Elk Island National Park has been disturbed currently, based on officers who say there have been autos travelling at extreme speeds by the park, generally hitting and killing bison of their wake.
Digital pace indicators within the park – there are 5 complete — have caught motorists going as quick as 100 kilometres an hour over the pace restrict – 144 km/h in a 40 km/h zone.
“Well, it’s quite alarming and it’s disappointing and a bit frustrating that we’re seeing those types of speeds here in a national park,” stated Dale Kirkland, Elk Island National Park superintendent.
He stated six bison have been killed by autos within the park since 2020, with the newest incident in August. The park carried out a examine that exhibits 534 wildlife in complete have been killed by autos since June, together with toads, salamanders, coyotes and even bison.
“The recent collisions we’ve had, luckily some passengers haven’t been injured, but we’re seeing some significant damage done to vehicles and, of course, the death of these animals,” Kirkland stated.
“The roads are very windy. You don’t have a lot of time to react when you’re going around when you come across a bison, a person, a person on a bike,” stated Insp. Barry LaRocque with Fort Saskatchewan RCMP.
Darren Gust, an everyday customer to Elk Island, says he’s involved in regards to the concern too as a result of he’s witnessed it first-hand.
“Young guys showed up on motorbikes and they were drag racing throughout the park. I was really upset and actually called one of the guys out on it,” Gust stated.
“It’s also about respect for the animals, for the bison, the moose – everything that’s here – and it’s respect, of course, for other people,” he added.
The park is taking measures to decelerate drivers, together with putting in pace bumps. The RCMP can also be stepping in to assist.
“We certainly will be looking at enforcing the speed limits and issuing tickets if in fact we find that people are committing traffic infractions,” LaRocque stated.
More measures can be carried out within the subsequent 12 months, however within the meantime, Kirkland desires individuals to benefit from the island, however do it safely.
“Wildlife is here in Elk Island and it’s a shared responsibility for us to protect that wildlife,” he stated. “Please obey the speed limits, please be extra alert when you’re here in the middle of the night or those daytime, dawn and post-dawn hours.”
— With information from Slav Kornik, Global News
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
