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Wandering geese leave cars honking in Carnegie
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These days, a police scanner call for traffic control in Carnegie doesn't always mean there's been an accident, a power shortage or an incapacitated vehicle.
But such calls do refer to tie-ups of a somewhat unusual sort for a busy borough.
It seems that many of the recent traffic control calls are for the numerous geese that live in Chartiers Creek.
The waterfowl have been crossing the multi-laned Mansfield Boulevard to reach feeding grounds on the other side, including the Run Street Creek and the Nature Conservancy's flower garden.
It's a slow walk and it has led to traffic snarls on Mansfield.
"It happens every day," said Carnegie Police Chief Jeffrey Harbin.
"Sometimes they actually cross in the crosswalk, so they're trying to obey the law."
He added that geese always travel in family units.
One popular feeding time appears to be about 7 p.m., but traffic controls have been called out at other times, too. On Sunday, there was such a call around noon.
It isn't known what type of geese are making their home in Carnegie, but residents report seeing varying shades of black, gray and white geese. Some have seen as many as 40 birds at a time.
Chief Harbin said the borough's public works employees clean up after the geese visits.
-- Carole Gilbert Brown
First Published August 16, 2012 5:34 am
