The speed limit on parts of Yankee Flat Road, Navigators, could be reduced following concerns about speeding and incidences of wildlife injuries and deaths.
Moorabool council in April received a petition from the Koala Alliance calling for the council to reduce the speed limit on Yankee Flat Road and collaborate with Victorian Police to install a permanent speed camera to reduce the incidence of koala injuries.
Yankee Flat Road is a 6.5-kilometre high-speed rural road that serves as a key southern bypass route around Ballarat.
Council officers recommended for there to be no change to the speed limit, but the councillors differed on that view.
Councillors instead decided to write to the Department of Transport requesting the speed limit between Ramage and Mount Buninyong roads be reduced from 80km/h to 60km/h, and from 100km/h to 80km/h between Navigators and Ramage roads.
The officers’ report said the data didn’t support the reductions in speed.
The council though won’t proceed with an application for a fixed speed camera, as Yankee Flat Road is on the mobile speed radar program and supplied data in an application will not meet the warrants for a fixed device to be installed.
Council will instead request police to conduct more regular patrol and enforcement for speeding issues along Yankee Flat Road and approve the installation of advanced warning and repeater signs for koalas.
Koala Alliance’s Jessica Robertson, who is a wildlife carer and representing the residents of Yankee Flat, said the officers’ report had a lot of data that had little relevance to the issues that were raised.
“Everyone on that street got together and discussed the issues and saw there were issues, and came up with strategies ourselves,” she said before the councillors voted on the speed changes.
Councillor Rod Ward said that as a user of the road, he was now more aware of the residents’ concerns.
“My point of view, I understand your concerns and it’s more than data we have to consider in this matter,” he said.
