The death of a motorcycle driver in a moose-related collision has prompted a call for fencing to be installed along New Brunswick's Route 10.
A 53-year-old man was pronounced dead over the weekend following an incident that started with two moose wandering onto the road on Canada Day. Police say the motorcyclist struck the moose and was thrown from his vehicle. A police officer in an unmarked vehicle happened upon the scene a short while later, and officials say the underside of the officer's car made contact with the injured motorcyclist.
The officer provided first aid at the scene, but the motorcyclist died of his injuries.
The death was the sixth motorcycle-related fatality in New Brunswick since April, officials say.
Pauline Johnson, who owns a business in the town of Minto, N.B., says the province should install fencing along Route 10 to prevent moose from stepping out into the path of traffic.
"If a province has put our taxes up to 15 per cent now, well, I think they've got enough money to build fences to keep the moose maybe on one side," she told CTV Atlantic on Sunday.
The stretch of Route 10 where the collision occurred is near a medium-risk zone for moose crossings, according to a map on the province's website.
The province says an estimated 300 residents of New Brunswick are involved in moose-related collisions each year. Efforts are underway to provide fencing along the Trans-Canada Highway. Signs are posted along most other routes, instead of full fences.
But Johnson says signs aren't enough. "You can put up signs that say, 'Be careful of moose' and whatever, but moose can't read that," she said.
