Wildlife Virtual Fencing Trial – Macs Reef Road

  • Project typeCapital works
  • Project value$20,000
  • Project scheduleCommencing June 2026 - expect to take 12 months
  • Contractor nameWildlife Safety Solutions
Virtual fencing for wildlife

Update 25 September

Stage 1 of the wildlife virtual fencing has been installed on Macs Reef Road between Bungendore Road and Denley Drive. Council staff will collect data from WildCare and insurance providers in order to assess the effectiveness of the fencing by comparing crash data from this 12-month trial period with data from previous years.

Stage 2 of the wildlife virtual fencing is also in progress, with units to be ordered shortly and a preferred location for installation decided in the coming months. WildCare has the most extensive and useable data on animal collisions in our LGA, and Council staff are awaiting this data for select roads which have been identified as hot spots for collisions. This includes Sutton Road, Old Cooma Road, Norton Road and Macs Reef Road. This data is expected in the coming months.

Following selection of a preferred location for Stage 2 based on data from WildCare, a determination report will presented to Council to endorse the location and installation. This report will also include preliminary results on the effectiveness of virtual fencing in Stage 1.

Project Background

It was decided that a 1.2 km section of virtual fencing was to be installed on Macs Reef Road between Bungendore Road and Denley Drive as part of a 12-month trial to assess the effectiveness of virtual fencing at reducing the number of vehicle collisions with animals.

Virtual fencing devices are activated by approaching vehicle headlights and emit a combination of sound and flashing blue and yellow LED lights to alert nearby animals, reducing the likelihood of animals being startled onto the road.

The devices are installed at 25-metre intervals on alternating sides of the road and are triggered sequentially by approaching headlights, creating a virtual fence effect along the roadside.

The location for installing the virtual fencing was selected using wildlife collision data provided by Wildcare, which identified this section of Macs Reef Road as having the highest frequency of wildlife strikes. This has also been supported by observations of roadkill within the area.

Wildlife collision data will be reviewed after 12 months, and the findings of the trial will be presented to Council in a future report.

Location

Macs Reef Road, between Bungendore Road and Denley Drive, Bywong 2620  View Map

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