To: Ramin Seifi, Director of Community Development, TOL Cc: Paul Crawford, Manager, Long Range Planning Cc:

Paul Cordeiro, Manager, Transportation Cc: Kevin Larsen, Manager, Water Resources and Environment Cc: Patrick Marples, Planner Cc: Jason Chu, Strategic Planner Cc: Mayor Rick Green and Council Cc: Al Neufeld, Manager, Parks Design and Development

From: Patricia Tallman, Ph.D. Re: Road Kill

August 26, 2011

I need to inform you of a fourth road kill in the same neighborhood within the past three months. This road kill of a small mammal, likely a rabbit, occurred on 80th Ave., just east of 204th Street, shortly before 7:20 am this morning. Only the remnants of the road kill were left behind as the crows must have eaten or carried away the carcass. The blood was still wet and entrails were intact. This is the second road kill on 80th Ave. within a month. The previous occurrence was on July 23, about one block further east (as noted in my first letter). Is this not disturbing? I have to wonder, how long has this been going on unreported and ignored? How many animal deaths have occurred on 80th Ave. between 200th and 208th Streets? This appears to be a high occurrence zone for animal crossings. Perhaps a wildlife tunnel should be put in place. As you can see from the accompanying videos and pictures, on 80th Ave. from about 200th to 208th Streets, both sides of the road are heavily forested with tall trees and thickets, thus serving as habitat to numerous wildlife species. Thus far, the total number of road kill that I have witnessed in three months is four, two on 83rd Ave. and two on 80th Ave. The sad truth is that they were foreseeable and avoidable. Motorists should not be driving at 80 km/hr on these streets. If reflector signs indicating wildlife crossings at early morning hours (coupled with blinking lights) were highly visible, these deaths could have been mitigated. In addition, 83rd Ave. will serve as an access road to the future Lynn Fripps Elementary School. This will further increase the already heavy traffic volume that exists now, serving the new housing developments. Let us work together to reduce the number of animal fatalities along 83rd and 80th Avenues, as well as other roads with repeated animal fatalities. One effective way to ensure that motorists stay within the speed limit (whether it is 30 or 50 km/hr) along 83rd and 80th avenues (where both wildlife fatality sites were within a couple of blocks from schools) is to install speed bumps; and I suggest more than one, spaced apart, in a series. There is an example in North Vancouver, on Fromme Road in Lynn Valley, where a series of wide and low speed bumps are used to slow traffic as it approaches Argyle Senior Secondary. Before the speed bumps were installed, traffic raced up and down Fromme Road; with their installation, the speed was reduced significantly. I know this because I used to live on Fromme Road. The bumps are not so high that cars are forced to a halt each time, but they are wide and just high enough to slow the traffic.