Keeping highways debris-free
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By MITCH SHAW
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
Lost cargo and large objects targeted by UDOT anti-litter project
SALT LAKE CITY --With only about a month left until summer officially begins, the Utah Department of Transportation says it's time to do a little spring cleaning on the roads.
On Tuesday UDOT introduced its new anti-litter campaign, "Litter Hurts," which focuses on items that most people wouldn't typically think of as litter.
"When most people think of litter, they think pop cans or wrappers or just trash in general," said UDOT spokesman Nile Easton. "While those things are still definitely a problem, they aren't the most dangerous thing on the road."
Easton said UDOT's campaign targets unsecured cargo, like furniture, appliances and maintenance equipment.
According to UDOT figures, more than 12,000 incidents of lost cargo are reported annually in the Wasatch Front alone.
That lost cargo often results in accidents that cause serious damage to vehicles, injuries and even fatalities.
"Anything that doesn't belong on the freeways is litter," said UDOT Executive Director John Njord. "But it can be very dangerous when you have large items in the middle of the road."
Njord said during the past year, UDOT has taken items off of the road that aren't just an eyesore, but also very dangerous.
"We've seen it all," he said. "Mattresses, couches, ladders, grills. When you have something that big in the road, even if you see it in time, it's hard to avoid."
Easton said research has found litter has shifted in the last 20 years from smaller deliberately discarded items to large cargo, usually lost on accident.
Cleaning up litter and debris on Utah's highways costs taxpayers more than $2 million each year.
"It's definitely a trend we are seeing," he said. "People can get in a hurry and they don't think their stuff will fall out."
UDOT asks anyone who loses large cargo to report it immediately and never try to pick it up alone.
"First of all, we want people to make sure their things are secure so they won't fall out," he said. "But if it does happen, we want people to call and report it so we can come and get it off the road."
Utah Highway Patrol superintendent Lance Davenport said from May 2006 to May 2007, UHP responded to more than 7,500 roadway debris calls.
"It's definitely a problem," Davenport said. "Sometimes we see things that are big enough to cross six lanes of traffic."
Davenport said removing debris is not only dangerous, but time consuming.
"It takes away time that we could spend doing other activities," he said.
"When you see big, big items in the road, it takes a lot of resources to remove them."
The Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 44, which increases fines for littering to $250 and lost debris to $500.
"The penalty was only $40," said Sen. Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake City, who sponsored the bill.
"It will act as a deterrent and will protect everybody on the road."
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