‘Rat run’: Goonellabah residents claim speeders threaten Tucki Reserve wildlife

Goonellabah residents are calling for a speed reduction in a high conservation area for wildlife, over fear of car strikes.

At least 144 Goonellabah residents want a 40kph speed limit on a road adjacent to Tucki Tucki Creek Nature Reserve in a bid to protect koalas and wallabies.

An online petition calls on Lismore City Council to investigate options to assist with speed reduction, signage to alert motorists of wildlife in the vicinity, and a request for a 40kph speed zone on Just Street.

“Just Street was a quiet, safe street on Tucki Tucki Creek Reserve, then the Dudley Street end of Just Street opened to surrounding areas,” petition organiser Russ Vita wrote on Change.org.

“The street is now being used (by a negligent few) as a speedy rat run to work, schools or sporting grounds. It is also being used as a fun racetrack to speed through with complete disregard of safety.”

Goonellabah residents are calling for a speed reduction on Just Street adjacent to Tucki Reserve.

“Last year, we had one of our resident wallabies killed by a speeding driver. We are concerned for local wildlife like wallabies and endangered koalas who call this part of Lismore home,” Ms Vita wrote.

Lismore City Council identifies Just Street on the Tucki Tucki Creek Reserve as a High Conservation Area.

However, feedback from council officers suggests a series of works to slow traffic in Just Street isn’t currently on the radar.

“The Lismore Wildlife Roadkill Mitigation report, which forms the basis of our road strike mitigation projects, didn’t indicate that Just Street should be considered even a minor black-spot when it comes to prioritising our problem areas for this issue,” a council officer said.

Felix, a six-month-old swamp wallaby, lost his mother to a car strike, and is now being cared for at Greenpatch wildlife shelter, Pakenham Upper. Picture: David Caird

A 2019 wildlife survey by council did not identify any koalas in the area, and did not consider the Tucki reserve to be a “high use area for them in comparison to other parts of Goonellabah”.

“Whilst a reduction in speed limit would likely prove beneficial to reducing any wildlife road strike in the area, considering that we currently have many more high priority areas for this issue, I wouldn’t be recommending any signage or a reduction in speed limit solely on the basis of wildlife roadstrike at this stage,” the council officer said.

Friends of the Koala president Aliison Kelly said strengthening wildlife corridors must be a priority, and slowing traffic in high conservation areas was appropriate.

“Why is it so hard for people to just slow down in known wildlife zones. Why do we always have to be in a hurry everywhere we’re going,” she said.

“Can’t we just slow down in certain spots and do whatever we can to reduce wildlife fatalities?”

Just Street provides connectivity between Dudley Drive to the south to Oliver Avenue to the north.

A traffic count report on the street found that average daily traffic (197 vehicles) was travelling at 41kph.