Surf Coast Shire residents could be driving past more wildlife signs following concerns over safety risks posed to kangaroos and the community.
Traffic assessments will be undertaken by Surf Coast Shire Council on Duffields Road, Bones Road, Jarosite Road and Addiscott Road in response to a petition for extra signs, which received 44 signatures.
Councillor Liz Pattison said the petition highlighted an issue of injured wildlife on council’s roads and thanked the community for raising concerns.
“This petition has escalated within council and community about the need to really look at how we are managing our roads,” she said.
“Unfortunately, current research indicates that over 40 per cent of drivers don’t actually pay attention to conventional wildlife signs.
“The root cause of this petition is about ensuring that we are looking after or trying to minimise the impact of wildlife being hit, kangaroos in particular, on our roads.”
Cr Tony Phelps said the region was known for its kangaroo habitats and healthy populations, and that nobody wanted to see them dead on the road.
“I’d like to urge all road users, particularly at sunrise and dusk, to take care on our country and coastal roads and to drive to the conditions, including looking out for wildlife on the road,” he said.
Council unanimously decided during its 9 December meeting to adjust wildlife signage in accordance with Australian Standards and Department of Transport guidelines, dependent on traffic assessment findings.
