A traffic accident involving two vehicles and a moose reignites the debate about the need to install wildlife fences on certain problematic stretches of road in Restigouche.

The accident occurred early Tuesday morning (October 17) on Route 11, near the Charlo sector of the municipality of Baie-des-Hérons.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reports that its officers were called to the scene of a collision between two vehicles and a pedestrian at approximately 7:15 a.m.

It all started with a collision between a Bathurst-bound car and a moose. After this impact, the vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane.

“A lady who witnessed the incident stopped at the scene to ensure the driver was OK. The two people were standing on the side of the road when a second vehicle collided with the first, blocking the oncoming lane. The rear of the first vehicle moved and struck the woman who was still standing on the side of the road,” said RCMP Sergeant François Côté.

Miraculously, this incident did not cause any fatalities. The woman was still transported to Campbellton Regional Hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.

This accident reinforces the demands of the members of the Restigouche Regional Services Commission. They have been calling for years for the construction of several kilometers of moose fences along the region’s two main arteries, Routes 11 and 17.

“This accident is truly disturbing because it was preventable. If we had had a new fence installed in the area as requested, this probably wouldn’t have happened. Luckily there were no injuries, just injuries. But it proves how dangerous the sector is, as we have been saying for a long time,” emphasizes the president of the CSR Restigouche, Brad Mann.

Encouraging discussions held last year with former Transport and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Carr had nevertheless pointed to positive developments in this dossier, but the dossier appears to have stalled with the arrival of his successor, Richard Ames.

“We were hoping to add a few more kilometers of fencing this year. We had even done some of the work for the department, such as identifying places where it would be better to start installing fences where moose are more abundant on Routes 11 and 17. But we didn’t see a single kilometer that needed to be added. This year, it’s very unfortunate,” regrets Mr. Mann.

A few weeks ago, he and other Commission colleagues traveled to Fredericton to meet with Secretary Ames to discuss the general condition of the region’s roads, their winter maintenance, and the famous deer fences. Mr Mann maintains that the discussion was good, but claims there has been no follow-up since then.

“We tried contacting him a few times to see if our presentation would lead to action, but to no avail. When installing fences this year, we need to forget about this, so our main focus is on improving road maintenance for the upcoming winter. However, we would still have liked a firm commitment to the construction of wildlife fences in the region and the renovation of existing fences,” says Mr. Mann.

What the president of the CSR Restigouche fears above all is the possible imminent triggering of general elections at the provincial level.

“If this comes to fruition, the entire process will slow down by at least six weeks. I don’t think our roads will be a big problem for the government. But if we want to make progress in improving the maintenance of our roads this winter and in erecting possible fences next year, the work must start now,” he believes, calling on Fredericton to compromise on solutions immediately.