MT. CHARLESTON (KTNV) — Mount Charleston residents are calling for increased law enforcement and better warning signs after a series of crashes between vehicles and wildlife on Kyle Canyon Road, saying the problem has become a frequent and traumatic occurrence in their community.
Shellye Leggett hears from Mount Charleston residents who reached out to Channel 13 to share their concerns:
Sandy Heer, a Mount Charleston resident since 2002, witnessed a crash two weeks ago while driving down the mountain that left her shaken.
"I was going down, the sun was in my eyes, not the sun in his or her eyes, and just hit the donkey, and I mean, I've seen, I seen the car," Heer said. "It was all bashed in and didn't even stop to pull over."
Just days later, another crash occurred when a vehicle collided with a burro.
"It was a big donkey, burro, and I just, it, it traumatized me," Heer said.
The ongoing problem prompted residents to address the issue at Thursday night's Mount Charleston Town Advisory Board meeting, where local law enforcement was present to hear their concerns.
Mount Charleston resident Cheryl Abbate says the issue extends beyond just speeding drivers.
"What kind of society are we becoming if we're driving down roads covered in animal blood and acting as if everything is well and everything is OK?" Abbate said.
Abbate says many drivers don't obey the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit, and enforcement is lacking.
"More law enforcement presence on the mountain," Abbate said. "We're asking for them to write more tickets."
She also pointed out that there are no wildlife crossing signs in the area, and when smaller animals are hit, cleanup can be delayed, creating additional hazards.
"If they're not removed quickly enough, then one roadkill easily becomes two, so yeah, so I personally drive around with a shovel in my jeep, um, for when I see smaller critters," Abbate said.
Heer, Abbate and other residents at Thursday night's meeting say they hope to generate enough attention to create change.
This isn't the first time wildlife safety concerns have been raised on Southern Nevada highways. Earlier this month, NDOT announced they were reviewing new wildlife signage on U.S. 95 near Corn Creek after a motorcyclist died when he hit a wild burro.
NDOT says they're evaluating additional signage, but there's no set timeline for changes.
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