Redlands City Council Koala Crossing Warning Signs
The Challenge
The Redlands has long been acknowledged as an important part of the Southeast Queensland Koala Coast and has previously been recognised as one of the most significant natural koala populations in Australia. The Redland City Council’s Koala Conservation Strategy and Action Plan is tackling many different threats to their koala’s safety and well-being, one of which is to reduce koala deaths on their road network.
The Solution
The Koala Safe Neighbourhoods Program is a collaboration between the Redland City Council and the local community to reduce the threats to local urban koala population and provide a safe place for koalas to thrive. The use of Radar Speed Displays is an important tool being used to encourage vehicles to slow down in areas of known koala habitat. The feedback of a koala smiley face and the real-time recorded vehicle speed provides drivers with a reminder to check, reduce speed and be aware that koalas are in the area.
The result
When urban koalas travel through Redland’s suburban neighbourhoods they use ‘stepping stone’ trees along streets, in backyards, and in parks and reserves – including both shade trees and food trees – to help them on their way. When they are travelling on the ground and moving between trees they are at their most vulnerable to vehicle-strike.
The use of Radar Speed Displays is helping to reduce the threat to the endangered koala populations by signposting to drivers they are travelling in areas where koalas live. They also encourage people to drive more carefully and slowly as they do pass through them – helping to reduce and, hopefully, eliminate koala strikes in these areas.
The radar speed display with its customised messaging and koala panel design have demonstrably shown that the majority of drivers are slowing down as they approach and pass the signs. Encouragingly, since installation of the signs, no koala strikes have been recorded along these sections of roads, and the latest research doesn’t show any evidence of habituation towards the sign messaging.
Our Radar Speed Displays have been deployed in conjunction with community koala awareness campaigns. Together the approach appears to be reducing vehicle speeds in koala sensitive areas. In addition, Redland city-wide community surveys have reported 64-67% of respondents recalling seeing these and other speed-activated signs; and that slowing down was the most self-reported koala conservation action.
Read more about Redland City Council’s Smart Sign Projects.
“We are pleased to see the community is responding so well to the radar speed display signs. Our community is very koala pro-active, but the signs help to serve as an additional reminder to slow down and be extra vigilant in certain areas across the City.””
Cathryn Dexter, Project Officer (Koala Conservation Program) at Redland City Council
