Shoalhaven City Council has installed virtual fencing to reduce animal and vehicle collisions in Bawley Point as part of a 12-month trial.
The trial is located along a one kilometre stretch of Murramarang Road, just south of Voyager Cresent. It has fence posts positioned at 25-metre intervals along the roadside, emitting light and sound when a vehicle approaches to deter native wildlife from the road.
Mayor, Amanda Findley said she is anticipating favourable outcomes particularly between dusk and dawn.
“The trial represents a proactive step towards enhancing road safety and safeguarding wildlife at Bawley Point,” Mayor Findley said.
“This area is known to have a lot of wildlife fatalities, which puts our motorists at risk of injury.
“Eurobodalla has already reported astounding results from their trial with a significant reduction in the amount of wildlife strikes,” she said.
Eurobodalla’s trial yielded impressive results, reducing wildlife strikes from five incidents per week to five incidents in eight months.
The trial was endorsed by council in 2023/24 as a means to enhance the safety of road users and protect valuable local wildlife.
To support the trial’s data collection and identify future hotspots, community members are being encouraged to use the iNaturalist App and website to document roadkill incidents, along with contacting Council on 1300 293 111 to remove deceased animals.
