By Grace Frost
Mitchell Shire Council has ditched traffic management devices planned for Hidden Valley, which wildlife rescuers claim could have assisted in minimising wildlife strikes.
Council says the devices were ‘not currently identified in the four-year capital works program’, leaving wildlife rescuers ‘feeling lost in the wind again’.
Wildlife rescuers have long called for traffic management at major wildlife crossings in Hidden Valley – namely Hidden Valley Boulevard, Valley Drive and Dolomite Rise – where wombats and kangaroos are reportedly often hit by motorists travelling faster than the speed limit.
Wildlife rescuer Mary-Anne Johnson presented to council in 2021 on her concerns for wildlife in Hidden Valley and named wildlife signage at Dolomite Rise and speed bumps at crossings as key focus areas.
She said she was told in 2021 that speed bumps in Hidden Valley along Valley Drive and Hidden Valley Boulevard were ranked fifth on council’s ‘priority list’, dependent on funds available, but had since heard little about the project’s progress.
Two years later, Mitchell Shire chief executive Brett Luxford named ‘competing budget priorities’ as a reason for deciding against the implementation of new devices to lower speed limits in the area.
“With the consent of the Department of Transport and Planning, DTP, speeds have been lowered through some of the busier precincts and together we have identified potential future traffic management devices to help further support the lowering of speed limits,” he said.
“Unfortunately, given competing budget priorities, these devices are not currently identified in the four-year capital works program.
“Although, we have maintained engagement with the DTP asking for the consideration to install some speed signage to Dolomite Rise to remind motorists of the prevailing speed limit.”
Mr Luxford said council was not delegated to install new speed signs and must gain approval from the DTP to install or change any speed zone signage.
Ms Johnson said though the reduction of speed limits on sections of Hidden Valley Boulevard since 2021 was somewhat effective in minimising wildlife strikes, there was still more to be done.
“From my understanding, there’s still incidences of strikes due to speed, and really, nothing else has changed [since 2021],” she said.
“There’s a lot of wildlife that are being hit, they’re sustaining head trauma, they’re sustaining broken limbs.
“Wildlife signage works, but not to the max, and it’s […] dependent completely on people and their attitudes to their driving.”
Ms Johnson said Mr Luxford’s response was ‘disappointing’ and was concerned about council’s allocation of funding.
“Wildlife rescuers have often said that we are there to assist in any way, but obviously we can’t fund it – someone needs to,” she said.
“Now we’ve got all these new developments and all housing coming in bringing in more rates and bumping up the dollars, so I just feel like they’re wasting it.
“I feel like we’ve kind of been lost in the wind again.”
Mr Luxford said council had been working with the community to develop a wildlife tracking initiative to provide better intelligence and track wildlife movement patterns.
“We know that wildlife migration and movement patterns change throughout the year and over time, and placing signage that responds to these changes is why developing the tracking initiative is so important,” Mr Luxford said.
But Ms Johnson said volunteer rescuers were only facing increased workloads as the shire’s population boomed.
“We’re putting more and more housing in more roads, there’s more cars, and we’re not doing anything to support those animals in this environment,” she said.
“I feel like [council’s] responses are blunt or straight to the point in hope that we go away, and I can tell you now, I’m not gonna go away – I’m always going to be a voice for these animals.”
