Update - Install wildlife fencing on Monaro Highway - Email to University of Canberra
Hi all
Below is a summary of our request to the University of Canberra. Relevant politicians have also been cc'd into the request to the University of Canberra .
We are awaiting a response from the university and will keep you updated on whether they contact us or seek a preliminary meeting.
In the meantime, please keep sharing the petition. The bigger this number gets, the harder it will be for the government to ignore us when we ask for research funding.
Thank you for standing up for the Monaro's wildlife and motorists.
Summary of email - To University of Canberra – Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics
Attention Centre Director – Richard Duncan
Dear Richard
We are running a petition to make the Monaro Highway between Canberra and Cooma safer from animal collisions. We currently have 4000 signatures and will be pressuring the Federal Govt, NSW State Government and the ACT Government to put forward money for further investigations into making Australian Highways safer. In particular the Monaro Highway with its high numbers of road kill between Canberra and Cooma.
I am keen to engage the university in the possibility of extending the technology involved in AI signage that identifies wildlife. My key question is whether it would be possible to have the AI signage technology identify the species and then display a predator specific image and sound, to frighten the wildlife from the highway.
We are looking for university support to come up with effective deterrents through a rigorous controlled research project that might be usable in real situations and eventually used in a trial on the Monaro Highway.
The end concept, as I see it, would be to have 100km an hour vehicle approach a series of poles that responded to the approaching traffic at the same time as an animal was identified as coming towards the road by the AI. The approaching vehicle activates the deterrents in advance. The AI signage would identify the species and apply the deterrent which might be people speaking with a silhouette shadow cast on the ground before the vehicle arrives.
We live on a property near the Monaro highway with a lot of local native wildlife on a nearby conservation block. I walk through regularly and my presence frightens the animals away from me generally in the opposite direction. Approaching humans and voices are effective deterrents for unhabituated animals.
Our starting point is to come up with specific deterrents that are proven to work, substantiated by a proper study before a trail can be considered by the Federal government, Transport NSW or the ACT Government.
The AI signage trial at Michelago on the Monaro Highway appears to be good technology for identifying species and creating an alert on the highway. If it were eventually combined with an effective deterrent that was triggered by an approaching vehicle calibrated so that the deterrent activated just prior to a vehicle travelling at 100 km an hour arriving at the location of the animal it could revolutionise wildlife safety on highway hotspots across Australia.
If we were to be successful in gaining support for a grant or funding to investigate useful species specific deterrents that could later be incorporated into a full signage virtual fencing trial would you be interested in directing such a study through the university?
To keep our community informed a summary of this email will be sent as an update to our 4000 petitioners.
I can be called on the number below if you would like to discuss the concept or to arrange a meeting on the subject.
Thankyou for your time and attention.
Regards
Ted Streatfeild MPIA
Petition – Install wildlife fencing on Monaro Highway
https://www.change.org/Install_Wildlife_Fencing_On_Monaro_Highway
0408425768