WILDLIFE WARNING REFLECTORS

Transcription

1 Ministry of Transportation and Highways WILDLIFE WARNING REFLECTORS Spectrometric Evaluation January 2001 Ministry of Transportation and Highways Engineering Branch Environmental Management Section 940 Blanshard Street PO BOX 9850 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9T

2 EXCERPT WILDLIFE WARNING REFLECTORS SPECTORMETRIC EVALUATION JANUARY 2001 Ministry of Transportation and Highways Engineering Branch Environmental Management Section 940 Blanshard Street PO BOX 9850 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9T5

3 National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data Sivic, Abid Wildlife warning reflectors ISBN Traffic safety and wildlife - British Columbia. 2. Traffic safety and wildlife - Technological innovations. 3. Ungulata - Accidents - British Columbia. 4. Cervidae - Accidents - British Columbia. 5. Game protection - British Columbia. I. Sielecki, Leonard E. II. British Colubia. Ministry of Transportation and Highways. Environmental Management Section. HE5620.W54 W '57 C X For additional copies of this document, please contact: Publication Orders 940 Blanshard Street PO Box 9850 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, B.C., Canada V8W 9T5 Telephone: (250) Fax: (250) Internet address:

4 DOCUMENT PAGE Wildlife Warning Reflectors Spectrometric Evaluation Authors: Abid Sivic, P.Eng Electrical R&D Engineer Date: January 2001 Leonard E. Sielecki, MCIP, R.P.Bio Environmental Issues Analyst Prepared for: Contact Person: Abstract: Comments: Keywords: Environmental Management Section Engineering Branch Victoria, B.C. Canada Leonard E. Sielecki, MCIP, R.P.Bio Environmental Issues Analyst Environmental Management Section Engineering Branch 4B 940 Blanshard Street PO Box 9850 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3E6 Phone: (250) The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways (BC MoTH) is investigating the performance of Swarflex and Strieter-Lite wildlife warning reflectors for mitigating motor vehicle accidents involving ungulates (deer, moose and elk). In order to determine how ungulates, based on the characteristics of their vision, respond to wildlife warning reflectors, fundamental spectrometric and photometric data on the reflectors was required. The reflectors were evaluated for their reflected light spectrum, luminous intensity and light distribution in a horizontal and vertical plane. An ordinary halogen car headlight was used to simulate a typical motor vehicle light source. The tests showed the lenses of both Swarflex and Strieter-Lite reflectors produce two reflections, one from the external lens surface and the other from the internal lens surface. The intensity of the light reflected by the external lens surface exceeded the intensity of the light reflected by the internal lens surface. The amount of light reflected from the reflectors varied with lens colour. The design of the lenses affected the angle and intensity of reflected light. The spectrometric and photometric properties of wildlife warning reflectors should be evaluated before selecting such products for wildlife accident mitigation applications. Wildlife, warning, reflectors, spectral, photometric, spectrometric, colour, evaluation, accidents, ungulates, deer, moose, elk, British Columbia, Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Swarflex, Strieter-Lite The contents of this publication reflect the view of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policy of the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways or the Government of British Columbia. The information provided in this publication is for technical purposes only and is presented without prejudice as to the application of the findings. This publication does not constitute a standard, specification, regulation, or product endorsement, of any kind. The trademarks and copyrights associated with any products described in this publication are the property of their respective owners and/or licensees.

5 Acknowledgements The Environmental Management Section, Engineering Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways would like to thank the following for their contributions: Sedat Gulen, Statistical Research Engineer, Division of Research, Indiana Department of Transportation, Samuel E. Wolfe, Road Operations Engineer, Toll Road Division, Indiana Department of Transportation, John Strieter, President, Strieter Corporation, Dr. Karl V. Miller, Professor, Wildlife Ecology and Management, D. B. Warnell School of Forest Resources, The University of Georgia, and Dr. Jay Neitz, Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin

6 Wildlife Warning Reflectors Spectrometric Evaluation Table of Contents 1. Introduction Technology Scope of Evaluation Spectral Reflectance Measurement Methodology Intensity of the Reflected Light Measurement Methodology Reflected Light Distribution Measurement Methodology Horizontal Plane Light Distribution Vertical Plane Light Distribution Summary of Testing Discussion References...24 Appendix A: Strieter-Lite Reflector Installation Specifications Appendix B: Swarflex Old Method Installation vs. Strieter-Lite New Method Installation Appendix C: Strieter-Lite Reflector Specifications Appendix D: Strieter-Lite Reflector Equivalency Notice Appendix E: SpectraScan Colour Reports Appendix F: John Strieter, Strieter Corporation, January 10, 2001, Personal Communication, Draft Report Review Appendix G: Spectrophotometric Measurement of Red Reflector Material Appendix H: Photopigments of White-tailed Deer Appendix I: Photoreceptors and Daylight Vision of Deer

7 List of Tables Table 1. Wildlife accidents in B.C. (1990 to 1999) Table 2. Illuminance in Lux at distances of 1m and 2m Table 3. Horizontal plane angle distribution Table 4. Maximum white reflection reading Table 5. Maximum white reflections from Strieter-Lite red coloured new model reflector (Model 7176) Table 6. Vertical plane angle distribution List of Diagrams Diagram 1. Diagram 2. Diagram 3. Diagram 4. Reflections from wildlife warning reflectors ( Old Method ) Reflections from wildlife warning reflectors ( New Method ) Typical plan view for Swarflex reflector installation ( Old Method ) Typical plan view for Strieter-Lite reflector installation ( New Method ) List of Photographs Photograph 1. Swarflex old style reflectors (Models 7172 and 7182) Photograph 2. Strieter-Lite new style reflector (Model 7176) Photograph 3. Various wildlife warning reflector samples Photograph 4. Light source Photograph 5. Swarflex old level style wildlife reflector illuminated Photograph 6. Strieter-Lite new style wildlife reflector illuminated Photograph 7. Reflector on rotary mount for horizontal distribution Photograph 8. White first surface reflection Photograph 9. Reflector on rotary mount for vertical distribution List of Figures Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Lab Set-up for Measurement Lab Set-up for Measurement Lab Set-up for Measurement Lab Set-up for Measurement List of Graphs Graph 1. Wildlife accidents in B.C. (1990 to 1999) Graph 2. Illumination level produced by the reflected source light Graph 3. Horizontal plane angle distribution Graph 4. Vertical plane angle distribution

8 1. Introduction Many countries in Europe and North America experience serious problems with traffic accidents involving wildlife crossing busy highways. In addition to the loss of wildlife, these accidents reduce highway safety for the motoring public and endanger human lives. The cost to health care systems, insurance companies and the transportation industry results in significant economic losses. In British Columbia, the greatest number of wildlife-related accidents involve ungulates, primarily deer, moose and elk. The provincial wildlife accident history from the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways (BC MoTH) Wildlife Accident Reporting System (WARS) for 1990 to 1999 (Sielecki, 2000) is presented in Table 1 and Graph 1. Table 1. Wildlife accidents in B.C. (1990 to 1999) Year Accidents Wildlife Accidents 1990 to Wildlife Accidents Years Graph 1. Wildlife accidents in B.C. (1990 to 1999) Between 1997 and 1999, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia spent over $48.6 million for wildlife-related motor vehicle accident claims (Gilfillan, 2000). In an effort to address the problem of wildlife-related accidents involving ungulates, BC MoTH has installed Swarflex and Strieter-Lite wildlife warning reflectors along the highway right-of-way at selected high accident locations. The reflectors are based on technology introduced by the Austrian company, Swarovski AG. Swarovski manufactures both Swarflex and Strieter-Lite reflectors.

9 The Environmental Management Section of BC MoTH is investigating the performance of wildlife warning reflector installations in order to determine their effectiveness for reducing the number of ungulate-related motor vehicle collisions. In order to determine to how reflectors may influence ungulate behavior, based on the characteristics of ungulate vision, fundamental detailed spectrometric data on both Swarflex or Strieter-Lite wildlife warning reflectors was required. The Environmental Management Section requested the technical assistance and expertise of the Electrical Engineering Centre of BC MoTH for a number of spectrometric tests. The Electrical Engineering Centre obtained samples of Swarflex and Strieter-Lite wildlife reflectors. The Centre performed spectral and photometric evaluations with in-house test equipment. The testing was concentrated on the reflected light spectrum, luminous intensity and light distribution in a horizontal and vertical plane. A halogen car headlight was used as a light source to simulate a typical highway measurement environment.