Displaying “Hedgehog crossing” sign

[Dumfriesman]

We have just realised our neighbourhood has hedgehogs! Unfortunately, we live on a busy ‘rat race’ road that everybody uses as a short cut. We know the hedgies cross the road in front of our house. Can we legally put up a sign at the front of our house? I already have a nice sign from JAF Graphics.
I want to put up the sign to make people slow down. We already found a dead one at the entrance to our drive.

[Nic]

Hi Dumfriesman

You really need to contact your local highway authority. There do, apparently, exist official hedgehog signs, but from what I’ve heard it isn’t so easy to get permission to get one put up. I believe there are various regulations about the number of roadsigns in an area, visibility, road safety, etc. You never know, the fact that you already have a sign and they don’t have to pay for it, might make a difference!

Very sad that you found a dead hedgehog. That must have been distressing for you. The best thing you can do, to help the hogs avoid the need to cross roads, is to link as many gardens as possible with hedgehog highways. That way they will have access to more habitat without having the need to cross roads, or at least cross roads so often.

https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/

[Dumfriesman]

Thanks. Will put my sign up at the end of my drive, see what happens!
All the cars using our road drive too damn fast anyhow.

[SeagullSuzie]

Hi Dumfriesman, when I spoke with Highways in North Yorkshire in an attempt to get the official ‘small mammal’ road sign on a main road near me (which turns out to be an almost impossible task and was refused), they did say that I could put up a sign on my property so long as it’s within the boundary, not blocking any official road signs or a danger to passing pedestrians (i.e. overhanging path, or at risk of falling down and blowing into road). You can also work with your neighbours to put up signs on their property, maybe at the entrance and exit of the rat run. As Nic says linking your gardens may help, I got some planks of wood and made the necessary sized frames for a hedgehog highway hole and gave them to my neighbours so that we linked our gardens. The JAF Graphics sign is great.

[Author]

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