The effectiveness of signs at restricting vehicle traffic: a case of seasonal closures on forest access roads

Abstract

We assessed the effectiveness of signs that temporally restrict vehicle traffic on forest access roads in northeastern Ontario. The signs specifically prohibit vehicle use of roads in proximity to lakes with remote (i.e., floatplane accessible) tourism during the first 2 weeks of the regular (i.e., rifles, shotguns, and muzzle-loaders) moose ( Alces alces ) hunting season. Vehicle use in restricted areas was measured by counts from traffic monitoring devices during the first 4 weeks of the hunting season (2 weeks during and 2 weeks after the restriction) at 14 sites with signs and another 14 sites without signs. The results suggest that these signs limit some, but not all, traffic in areas during the first 2 weeks of moose hunting. The estimated noncompliance rate with signs was 11.7% with a 95% confidence interval of 4.5% to 24.7%.