Concerns amid spike in deer-vehicle collisions in Cork

A SPIKE in deer-vehicle collisions on the N22 has raised concern for the safety of motorists on the road. Seven incidents had been reported on the newly opened section of the Macroom bypass in the weeks leading up to September 8.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan said her fear is that a collision may lead to the loss of life as well as endangering deer in the locality.

Calls were previously made for a deer and wildlife overpass to be constructed to facilitate animal crossings. However, Cork County Council expressed hopes the animals will find a new migratory path for safer crossing.

Signage has also been erected to alert people to the animals.

However, Ms Moynihan pointed out that a number of cars have already been written off by deer-vehicle collisions.

“There is space in the world for both deer and cars, It’s just a matter of finding it”, she told The Echo.

“There have been a number of deer killed on the road but this is also leaving drivers and passengers at risk. Both sides are in danger. This is an issue that requires a public safety campaign addressing how to deal with deers on the road. Cars have been written off that were travelling at 100kph. There are certain times of the year when deer are on the move. We didn’t have a lot of these incidents on the old N22 but it is very much an issue at the moment.”

Cork County Council director of services, roads and transportation Padraig Barrett addressed the issues at a recent meeting of the southern division at County Hall this week. He discussed the figures they had for collisions as of September 8.

“There were seven deer incidents on the newly opened second road, all within a 2km distance that opened on August 11,” he said.

“There are five crossing points and five underpasses so we were surprised at the number of fatalities. We are keeping it under review, along with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, from a safety perspective.

“At the request of gardaí we have erected signage as an interim measure to alert motorists to the presence of deer in the area.”

He spoke about the possibility of safety measures in the area.

“It is an issue but the truth is deer are a concern on every road, not just openly new roads. There are deer fatalities across the county on an ongoing basis. Deer fencing is being looked at.

“However, the risk of erecting deer fencing means that there is a risk that they won’t be able to get off the road if they make their way in. We are hoping that it will die down and the deer will find a new migratory path far safer for crossing the road in that location,” said Mr Barrett.