Traffic restrictions remain at Twelve Apostles

A TRAFFIC management plan at the Twelve Apostles precinct introduced late last year will remain in place until the end of this month to help reduce congestion and improve visitor safety.

The Chinese New Year festival during February is a particularly busy period at the Twelve Apostles (as is the Australia Day long weekend), with visitor numbers peaking at more than 10,000 daily.

Traffic management at the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge includes traffic controllers, additional parking arrangements, speed limit reductions, traffic-flow coordination and roadside barriers to prevent illegal and unsafe parking.

Parks Victoria also has an additional five rangers working in the Port Campbell National Park over summer to ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable visit, and understand national park regulations.

This will include rangers with Mandarin language skills to welcome Chinese visitors.

“Traffic management over the Christmas period has proven effective in co-ordinating the parking and movement of thousands of vehicles around the Twelve Apostles,” Parks Victoria area chief ranger Michael Smith said.

“Importantly, we’ve seen a reduction in cars parking illegally on the side of the Great Ocean Road, which is dangerous and interrupts the flow of traffic.

“Traffic controllers will continue to be on-site over peak visitor periods in January and February to ensure visitors safely enjoy their visit to this spectacular region.

“During busy summer periods, we encourage people to consider visiting during the morning, when traffic around the Twelve Apostles is lighter.”