TMR has advised the Noosa Electorate office that it has undertaken investigations into koala activity and road kill on the state-controlled McKinnon Drive, Cooroibah, to consider if signage or other mitigation strategies are currently warranted.
TMR have advised the Noosa Electorate Office the following in relation to investigations regarding koala activity;
“TMR advised that it would undertake investigations into koala activity and road kill on the state-controlled McKinnon Drive, Cooroibah, to consider if signage or other mitigation strategies are warranted.
TMR’s environmental officers have now reviewed data obtained through the Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo. The records from 2016 to mid-2018 show that in the areas surrounding McKinnon Drive (Noosaville, Tewantin, Tinbeerwah, Cooroibah and Boreen Point) three koalas were hospitalised as a result of a vehicle strike, and one koala died. Our officers have also reviewed records on the publically-available koala tracker database from 2015 to mid-2018 and found a record of one deceased koala on McKinnon Drive as a result of a vehicle strike.
Based on the available data, TMR does not plan to install koala signage, or implement other strategies on McKinnon Drive, at this time. We will continue to monitor data to inform future fauna protection measures in the area, as needed. TMR acknowledges that the dataset reviewed may not be a true representation of incidences as not all injured wildlife are admitted to hospital. We are currently working to improve data collection on our roads to better inform road planning.
As additional background, TMR installs animal warning signs at strategic locations where hazardous animal activity is most likely to occur, and in accordance with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which outlines the national standards and guidelines for signage. The MUTCD provides specifications on the number of signs which should be installed to avoid road safety issues which can result from excessive signage. The basis of warning signage is to warn motorists of hazards that are always or regularly present but may not be self-evident to motorists. When warning or advisory signs are installed for a hazard that is rarely encountered, TMR officers have observed that it can result in poor acknowledgement of the sign and no change in driver behaviour.
TMR is allocated funding each financial year for the purpose of nature conservation. This funding is limited and is allocated to projects on a priority basis, with the highest priority being maintenance and repair of the district’s 25 kilometres of koala exclusion fencing.”