What’s The Hold-Up? Isle Of Wight’s Decade-Long Badger Sign Battle Hits Brickwall

A near decade-long campaign for badger warning signs on the Isle of Wight has hit a brick wall, despite the best efforts of Island Roads, the Isle of Wight Council and the Island’s MP.

A number of applications have been submitted over a seven year period, however the Department for Transport (DfT) has not approved them, instead suggesting an alternative depicting a hedgehog. It says this will warn drivers of all small mammals. 

The Isle of Wight Badger Trust says this is ‘pointless’. 

The Isle of Wight Council admits the hedgehog sign is ‘unlikely to be as effective’ when wanting to warn motorists of the presence of badgers.

Exclusive

As Isle of Wight Radio exclusively revealed, badger roadkills here have cost more than £100,000 from 2011-2019.

Last year alone, £14,200 was spent disposing of the carcases. This has prompted renewed calls for the bespoke signage. 

The Badger Trust says it will fund the ‘capital cost’ of the signs and maintain them. Island Roads also plans to erect them for free under its volunteer scheme.

Applications from the Badger Trust, and ones submitted on its behalf, include:

• 13 warning signs installed for motorists on the Island, depicting a badger
• For signs to be located in 7 areas considered ‘badger hot spots’ 
• For signs to be placed a few miles around the areas identified

Shorwell, Limerstone, Chessell and Niton had badger warning signs installed when the local authority had the rights to the roads. No more have been approved since the DfT took control. 

Signs continue to be refused...

A spokesperson for the Badger Trust claims the DfT rejected an application because it failed 'to demonstrate a large concentration of badgers over a single site'. 

According to the Trust, badgers are often dispersed sporadically as they can forage up to 2km away from the set at night.

In 2019, Island Roads provided data on badger fatalities. An application for signage was rejected by the DfT on the grounds that warning signs ‘were not there to protect wildlife, but to warn motorists of potential danger to prevent skids/collisions’.

In response to the claims, the DfT told Isle of Wight Radio:

‘Protecting this country’s wildlife, particularly those small animals often hit by cars, is very important to us... It is for the local authority to decide and apply to use the small wild mammal warning sign’.

The Isle of Wight Council says it has applied for a badger sign because the alternative is ‘not as effective’.

Following a similar campaign by the Norfolk Badger Trust, badger signs were temporarily installed for 18 months in order to assess their effectiveness. They are now a permanent feature.

Isle of Wight Radio has asked the DfT why a number of applications for badger signs on the Island have still not been given the green light.

Transport Secretary amends sign policy

In 2019, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling amended the nationwide policy whereby a sign of a hedgehog would represent ‘all small mammals’. At the time, he said:

“The new small mammal warning sign should help to reduce the number of people killed and injured, as well as helping our precious small wild mammal population to flourish.”

The move prompted Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely to write a letter to ministers on behalf of the Badger Trust. He received the following reply:

“The department is currently exploring the options for a traffic sign to make drivers aware of the presence of badgers...in locations where there have been a high number of animal casualties”

A year on, and in response to Isle of Wight Radio’s article, Mr Seely has again called on the DfT to allow the signs, ‘especially if the Trust is happy to fund them itself!’

Isle of Wight Radio is awaiting an updated comment from the DfT.