The Watchdog: Keeping the roads clean

Problem: Roadkill

After about five days of seeing a dead deer in the road, Susan Millman, an Annapolis resident, decided to take matters into her own hands.

Not by dodging traffic with a shovel in hand, but by calling The Watchdog. She had already tried calling the county and city, she said, but it seemed like nothing was being done.

Millman believed the carcass had been lying in the somewhat nonexistent shoulder of Forest Drive - just east of the Chinquapin Round Road intersection on the north side of the road - since the previous Friday.

Millman was rightfully concerned. Sure, roadkill is disgusting to look at, but decomposing critters can also pose health problems and driving hazards.

Solution: Dead or alive?

It's a common misconception that the county Animal Control department is the proper authority for picking up roadkill. Actually, Animal Control officials are only responsible for the disposal of the remains, not for scraping them off the pavement.

That said, a resident can notify Animal Control of the carcass, and office staff should be able to relay the message to the right folks. The phone number for Animal Control is 410-222-8900.

At first, The Watchdog thought the location of the deer was in the city's jurisdiction, but Bob Agee, acting director of the city's Public Works Administration, corrected her that this poor dear was in a county right-of-way.

Agee went ahead and notified the county's central road operations maintenance district that day about the problem.

David Abrams, a county spokesman, confirmed that a contractor for the district's road management picked up the dead animal Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours after The Watchdog's original bark.

Agee provided a good rule of thumb to help residents remember which agencies are responsible for which issues: Animal Control handles issues related to domesticated animals and pets, such as dogs, cats and canaries; the state Department of Natural Resources deals with wildlife issues, such as live fish and deer; and state highway authorities and local road administrators deal with any lane obstructions, be it a mattress or a dead animal.

There's also nothing wrong with calling the nonemergency police line - 410-222-8050 for the county or 410-268-9000 for the city.

Motorists should be on the lookout for deer crossing roads right now, because this is mating season. To avoid striking a deer with a car, here are some tips provided by AAA Mid-Atlantic:

If you see a live deer near a roadside, use your horn to scare it off.

Don't flash your high beams at a deer - it might cause the animal to fixate on the vehicle.

Never swerve; instead, slow down and brake. Swerving can cause you to lose control of your vehicle or hit another vehicle.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ever want someone to growl on your behalf? From plowing to potholes, from sediment runoff to sewer blockages, The Watchdog wants to hear about your civic problem. She'll figure out which government agency is responsible and follow up to see that it's handled satisfactorily.

E-mail complaints to Elisha Sauers at esauers@capitalgazette.com or call her at 410-280-5932.