Risk of vehicle strike on access road

Threatened species are at risk of vehicle strike from hooning, other motor vehicle activities and motor/trail/mini bikes driven close to koala habitat within a koala breeding area. These vehicles bypass the three speed humps on the access road by driving on the grass verges and would not be able to clearly see koalas near the road due to the bollards on the southern edge of the access road.  

Hooning

Hooning occurs on the sports field and access road within koala breeding sites where koalas have been sighted on the ground during the day. Obviously this poses a large threat to koalas and bush stone-curlew not only from the point of view of vehicle strike but also excessive noise that causes stress to koalas and other wildlife. See videos.

Ecologist Sandy Pimm

In her email dated 5/12/13 she said:

‘Once traffic enters the area beyond the subdivision's koala fence, there is no mechanism to separate vehicles from koalas and some people will inevitably push the boundaries and 'hoon' out of there at high speed.  Eventually koala death will result.’

Shooting

Evidence of bullet holes in council signage and pump shed. How many koalas and other wildlife have been shot at that we don’t know about?

Home-made spud-cannon launching

This has occurred on the sports field and in close proximity to koala habitat. How many of these spuds have landed in koala habitat creating stress for them and other threatened species?

Fire lighting

Occurs in close proximity to koala habitat (see Fire ).

Teen parties - fires, loud music, alcohol and vandalism  

As a result of a petition signed by Black Rocks by the Sea residents to stop these parties and to increase koala protection, a permanently locked boom gate was installed in June 2013.

Conclusion

In spite of the installation of bollards and locked koala/dog gates at night, hooning and vandalism is still a big problem at the Black Rocks sports field, mainly due to its isolated location and lack of monitoring. Clearly the best solution for koalas and the other threatened species is to permanently enclave the area and revegetate the sports field (as Dr Steve Phillips and several other ecologists have recommended) so humans have no easy access to it. Otherwise hooning will never end and koalas will have no hope of ever recovering from all the impacts, especially the devastating Christmas day fire in 2014.

In January 2015 council resolved to prepare a report on how hooning can be stopped. We won’t hold our breaths.

For other threats to koalas at Black Rocks sports field area click here