ROAD verges on Dartmoor are to be re-shaped in an effort to cut down the number of accidents to animals.
The work is to be carried out by April by Dartmoor National Park Authority.
Paul Glanville, the Dartmoor ranger responsible for the Tavy and Lyd areas, said it would be 'gentle re-shaping —nothing drastic.'
One of the aims is to make it easier for animals to get back on to the grass after they have strayed on to the road or into one of the ditches alongside. Another is to make it easier for drivers to see animals on the road and on the roadside ahead of them.
'If an animal steps out on to the road unseen, the driver has no time to react,' said Mr Glanville.
He stressed that more careful driving would have a bigger impact on the number of accidents than the changes to the verges.
'We will make it safer for animals where we can, but we can't affect driving standards,' he said.
The authority has no intention of introducing hedges or fences, despite the wishes of some horse protection campaigners.
John Bainbridge, chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, said his organisation would contribute £1,000 to the scheme, to be spent particularly on the Cadover Bridge area.
He agreed with Mr Glanville that better driving was the main remedy but that verge improvements could help.
He said fencing would not help because drivers would then go faster. 'Farmers won't want fences anyway because it will make it hard to move stock across roads,' he argued.
He thought the designation of the moor as an Environmentally Sensitive Area would lead to a reduction in livestock which would also mean fewer accidents.