After receiving letters from the Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association (BIEPA) and concerned residents the Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC) has installed new wildlife signage along parkland adjacent roads.
Cotterill Avenue, First Avenue, Goodwin Drive, Sunderland Drive and Whitepatch Esplanade have all had eye-catching new wildlife signs installed. These new signs serve as a warning to drivers to keep an eye out for our native wildlife which may be crossing the roads.
On July 17th BIEPA sent a letter to MBRC Councillor for Division 1, Brooke Savige, requesting more signage to make motorist aware of wildlife.
A spokesperson for BIEPA said “BIEPA has been aware for some time now, through reports from our Members and many other concerned residents, that there has been an increase in reports of wildlife, in particular kangaroos and wallabies, being struck by vehicles on Bribie’s roads. This is probably caused by the recent spell of very dry weather, which tends to encourage animals onto the roadsides, and also the considerable increase in traffic, in particular along the top stretch of Cotterill Avenue by the National Park. This street has seen the number of vehicles using it multiply since the development of new high-density residential areas behind the Shopping Centre.
We had urged that the Council arrange for prominent signage on the roads where most of these extremely distressing incidents were occurring and are very pleased to see that many eye-catching, photographic signs have been installed recently on Cotterill Avenue, First Avenue, Goodwin Drive, Sunderland Drive and Whitepatch Esplanade. Additional stencilled signage is now on the road on Whitepatch Esplanade and we understand that this will be applied in other areas also.”
Councillor Brooke Savige responded to these local concerns by bringing up the need for additional signage in Council which has resulted in the new signs.
“We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world but we need to be mindful that we share this with our native wildlife and therefore must do all we can to protect them. Additional signage options will be considered in the long term but for now I encourage drivers to be aware of our native wildlife and to show particular care when driving at dawn and dusk.” Said Councillor Savige.
It is still too early to say if the signage will reduce accidents but BIEPA is hopeful it will help.
“We will, of course, continue to follow the situation closely to see if these signs do result in a sharp reduction in these incidents and also if there are other areas in which signage could be installed. Other measures such as reviewing the speed limits in some areas, or at certain times, could also be considered.
BIEPA welcomes the installation of these signs and appreciates the efforts of the Council, and in particular our Councillor Brooke Savige, in bringing this about. We hope that these measures will indeed contribute to ensuring that Bribe Island is a Sanctuary for our wildlife, as announced on the sign at the entrance to the Island.” The BIEPA spokesperson said.
