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Sam Penrod Reporting Drivers going underneath freeway overpasses are noticing a different kind of road hazard these days. The hazard is hundreds of pigeons, and some drivers feel like they are under attack from above.
It may be the age old question--- how to deal with pigeons who leave their mark in public places. Nowhere does it seem to be so bad these days as at the 90th South overpass, where it seems hundreds of pigeons call it home.
Driver: "There's definitely a lot of them around."
And some drivers have learned the hard way and now try to stay out of the line of fire.
Driver: "I got pooped on the other day."
It's worse for pedestrians and those who ride their bikes underneath where the pigeons like to roost.
Bicyclist: "I just think they need to do something about it. There's just too much bird poop on the ground right now."
The pigeons are a huge headache to UDOT, and maintenance crews have spent years trying to figure out how to address the problem.
Nile Easton, UDOT Spokesperson: "Pigeons are very persistent. We've tried different removal methods. We've had trappers come and take them away and they come back. We've tried the little spikes and they get around those. We're open to ideas; if people have ideas, they are certainly welcome to call in; we'd definitely be interested in hearing them."
While the pigeons are a certainly a nuisance, they are not putting anyone in danger, so UDOT is not considering exterminating them, primarily out of safety and legal reasons.
Pigeons are a problem in other states and some states are experimenting with sonic noise makers to try and scare them away. For now, though, pigeons seemed to have outsmarted us, just one more little hazard we have to watch out for on the road.
UDOT says it periodically cleans up after the pigeons, but the pigeons don't waste anytime making another mess
