Bribie Island residents regularly contact Council with concerns about wildlife on local roads. Sadly, many of these requests are for the removal of deceased animals, with more than two thirds relating to kangaroos and wallabies.
To help reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions on Bribie Island, Council is planning to install wildlife movement infrastructure on several key roads as part of our Green Infrastructure Network Delivery Program.
Council's review - what we know
As a starting point for this project, we undertook a review of our community request data to identify the key Bribie Island roads where collisions with wildlife are reported.
Between 2010 - 2020, Council received around 200 community requests to remove deceased animals located on or adjacent to Bribie Island roads. Of these requests, 172 related to kangaroos and wallabies. View the customer request data relating to kangaroos and wallabies on Bribie Island here.
Phase 1 community consultation - what we heard from you
To further our understanding, we asked the community to share their ‘on-ground’ knowledge with us and help identify key locations where they encounter kangaroos and wallabies on Bribie Island roads.
Around 80 people shared their local knowledge with us through an online interactive map, at one of our pop-up information sessions, by email or through social media.
Kangaroo and wallaby sightings and collisions were most frequently reported on the following Bribie Island roads:
| Roads | Number of encounters reported |
|---|---|
| Sunderland Drive and surrounds | 40 |
| First Avenue | 25 |
| Freshwater Drive and surrounds | 24 |
| White Patch Esplanade | 19 |
| Goodwin Drive | 17 |
| Endeavour Drive | 13 |
| Avon Avenue | 9 |
| Rivercherry Avenue | 9 |
| Cotterill Avenue and Protea Drive | 8 |
Another 40 Bribie Island roads received five or less submissions for wildlife sightings.
During the consultation, several community members requested traffic calming solutions to be installed on some roads. Council's infrastructure planning team will continue to look at all opportunities while green infrastructure is delivered.
Phase 2 Community Consultation - What we heard from you
Based on information gathered during the first phase of community consultation and our customer request data, the following roads have been identified as a priority for green infrastructure:
- White Patch Esplanade
- Freshwater Drive and surrounds (including Rivercherry Avenue)
- Avon Avenue
- Sunderland Drive and surrounds
- Cotterill Avenue and Protea Drive
- Goodwin Drive
- First Avenue (Bongaree and Woorim)
In the second phase of community consultation, we shared concept plans for the proposed green infrastructure on these roads and invited the community to provide feedback. Thirty-two (32) community members provided feedback on the concept plans. The following is a summary of the general feedback received:
- Most community members were supportive of the green infrastructure.
- Overall the proposed stencils and LED signage were supported.
- Many community members suggested reduced speed limits and traffic calming measures were needed to effectively reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions on the Island.
- There was a relatively even split between community members who supported installing fauna fencing and those that did not. The main reasons cited for not wanting fencing included the view that it is ineffectiveness; limits community access to the National Park and wildlife’s access to food supply; and the preference for community and fauna to co-exist.
- Several changes were suggested to the green infrastructure proposed for specific road. These will be considered as the design for each location is further developed.
Next steps
Council is committed to protecting wildlife on Bribie Island.
In response to the community feedback received, the following actions will be taken to help reduce vehicle-wildlife collision on the Island.
- Prioritise the installation of improved driver awareness cues. LED signage and pavement stencils will be installed as outlined in the table below.
- Targeted driver awareness communication during May - July (peak period for wildlife). We are investigating options for effective location-specific messaging to raise drivers’ awareness of the risk of wildlife-on road at peak times of the year. This is expected to include on road and general communication.
- Speed limit review - wildlife-vehicle-collision ‘hot spots’. Council will be undertaking a speed limit review of roads across the region where regular wildlife-vehicle collisions are occurring. This information will be provided to the State government which regulates speed limit change.
- Monitoring fauna crossings. Council will be installing monitoring equipment on the recently constructed fauna crossings on First Avenue. This information will inform future planning work towards wildlife safety initiatives across the Island.
- Planning of future detailed design for green infrastructure. We will progressively develop detailed design for the green infrastructure proposed on each of the priority roads.
- Pursuing partnership opportunities to deliver fauna movement infrastructure. Council will liaise with the State government regarding partnership opportunities to improve environmental outcomes where council managed roads intersect with state managed protected areas such as Bribie Island National Park.
Local Network | LED Signs | Stencils |
Whitepatch Esplanade | Y | Y |
Endeavour Drive | Y | Y |
Freshwater Drive | - | Y |
Corymbia Way | - | Y |
River Cherry Drive | - | Y |
Avon Avenue | - | Y |
Sunderland Drive | Y | Y |
Marina Boulevard | - | Y |
Cotterill Dr, Protea Dr & Goby St | Y | Y |
| Goodwin Drive | Y | Y |
First Avenue | Installed | Y |
Hunter Street | - | Y |
