VISITORS travelling to Mt Buller and Mt Stirling may have noticed some new flashing lights and sounds coming from Mt Buller Road.
New green posts and lights have been installed as part of a new virtual fencing system that runs along a stretch of Mt Buller Road near Sawmill Settlement and is designed to keep animals, specifically deer, off the road.
The new systems are made by Australian company Wildlife Safety Solutions, who said their latest testing in Tasmania over the last couple of years has seen a 50 per cent reduction in wildlife vehicle collisions.
The devices are placed at 25-metre intervals on alternating sides of the road.
They are triggered in sequence by the vehicle headlight as a car approaches along the road, forming a virtual fence.
“To reduce the risk to motorists, two virtual fences have been installed along the Mount Buller Road, near Sawmill Settlement, and The Great Alpine Road, near Harrietville, to deter deer, and potentially other native wildlife, from crossing the road when a vehicle approaches at night,” said DELWP Hume planning manager David Pasztaleniec.
“Once the virtual fence is activated by car headlights, the unit emits an ultrasonic sound and blue flashing light into the vegetation beside the road, deterring deer from crossing and colliding with vehicles.
“Our number one priority is the safety of the community, so we are pleased that this trial project is being carried out in two key locations where deer are known to frequent.”
Signage advising of the project will also be installed along both roads in the near future.
The sections of road chosen for this trial were selected based on evidence from the community where deer are known to frequent.
Every year in Australia there are thousands of accidents involving wildlife and vehicles, resulting in wildlife deaths and injuries, injuries and loss of life to people, and damage to vehicles and property.
Cathy Raeburn of the Jamieson Wildlife Rescue said the new roadside system should help and would like to see this system installed elsewhere but may be prohibitive due to costs.
"I have seen a reduction in the number of animals coming in injured but this may be due also to the lower number of vehicles on the roads due to COVID lockdowns," Cathy said.
"The cost of installation of this alarm system, which has been successful in other states, is around $8000 per kilometre and some of this cost would probably be borne by our local shire and DELWP.
"But I would love to see the beacons installed on our major roads throughout the shire; I am sure it would cut down on the number of animals being injured along with damage to cars, particularly from the increasing number of deer throughout the district."
This project is being delivered by DELWP, in partnership with Regional Roads Victoria and is funded through the Victorian Deer Control Strategy which was released by the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change on October 30, 2020.
The 2020/21 state budget provided a total of $19.25m over four years and $4.4 million per annum ongoing for the development and implementation of regional deer control plans under the Victorian Deer Control Strategy.
