Speed cuts sought to improve safety of koalas

A PETITION from a koala protection group has prompted Moorabool Shire Council to seek speed limit reductions on parts of Yankee Flat Road near Ballarat.

The Shire will write to the Department of Transport and Planning requesting amendments to the speed limits from 80 to 60km/h between Ramage Road and Mount Buninyong Road, and from 100 to 80km/h between Navigators Road and Ramage Road.

The issue came before last week’s council meeting after a petition from the Koala Alliance containing 37 signatures was lodged in April.

The petition also sought installation of permanent speed cameras between Ramage Road and Mount Buninyong Road to monitor speeding, but will not be pursued because the area is already on the mobile speed radar program and data supplied with an application would not meet criteria for permanent cameras.

The changes were part of an amended motion by Cr Steven Venditti-Taylor, which was carried unanimously.

An officers’ report to the meeting said speed reductions in both sections of the road were not warranted because they were “not supported by available data.”

The report also recommended against proceeding with a fixed camera application because the road is already on the mobile camera list.

While Cr Venditti-Taylor’s new motion left the speed camera aspect unchanged, it did include the speed limit changes and followed addresses to councillors by two people – Jessie Robertson of the Koala Alliance and resident Judith Bailey.

Cr Venditti-Taylor’s motion also included two other points already in the original recommendation: that police be asked to conduct more frequent patrols of the road and enforce speeding offences there, and approve the installation of advanced warning and repeater signs of koalas.

In her address to the council, Ms Robertson said much of the data used to justify the original recommendation was not relevant to the issues the petition raised.

“[But] we gave really good data,” she said. “I gave four years of wildlife data…and every single resident on that road signed that petition and agreed that it was a problem road for all of them.

“That’s pretty good evidence and that’s from the community that lives there.”

Ms Robertson said the area in question was in fact a corridor for koalas, particularly during their breeding season.

“The council has supplied no data on wildlife other than a council engineer who went out there for one hour and assessed the site,” she said.

She said the officer did not report seeing any koalas on the road during that time and considered there was little habitat for them.

“That’s just not true,” she said. “There’s habitat everywhere, and there’s a corridor right down to Union Jack Reserve.”

Ms Bailey told councillors a lot of incidents were unreported, such as one she experienced last month involving her vehicle, a second vehicle and a dead kangaroo on the road, where the vehicle following hers had passed her when she swerved to avoid the dead animal.

“It was very dangerous, and my safety and my passenger’s safety was at risk,” she said.

“That’s not the only time I’ve almost had incidents where people have been speeding and almost there’s been a crash.”

Ms Bailey said apart from koalas and kangaroos, echidna and wallabies were also endangered if they ventured onto the road.

“For every road trauma that is recorded I would say there are four or five that are unrecorded on these back roads in the Moorabool Shire,” she said.

Cr Rod Ward said he was a regular user of Yankee Flat Road and was aware of the speakers’ concerns.

“I’ve been more aware of the concerns since you raised them,” he said. “I understand your concerns and to me it’s more than data that we have to consider in this matter.”

Cr Ward acknowledged that council officers had to make recommendations based on the data they had, but added: “As councillors we have discretion to look at what happens outside the data.

“In this case I’d like to think the community engagement will carry some weight (in seeking the speed limit changes).”

Councillors and petitioners will be notified when an outcome of the speed limit changes request is received.