An education campaign aimed at slowing drivers down around Lake Wendouree will begin soon, according to the City of Ballarat.
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After a motion was carried at Wednesday's council meeting to investigate traffic patterns and launch the campaign, more details have emerged about what it will entail.
While the initial suggestion was for a consistent speed limit of 40km/h to be introduced on Wendouree Parade - at the moment, it is intermittently 50km/h and 40km/h near schools and high pedestrian areas - was not supported by council officers and Regional Roads Victoria, council determined instead more information will be gathered before making a formal submission to change the speed limit.
The councillor who moved the motion, Daniel Moloney, said as well as the education campaign, he hoped "seasonal" signage could be installed, particularly when swans are most at risk in early spring.
"I don't want to clutter the lake with signs, but certainly at the road points where we know there is a particularly high population of swans, and at certain times of year, to highlight the need to be particularly careful," he said.
"When you're trying to educate motorists to slow down, they typically won't, they ignore (permanent) signs, so you need policing, or signs that are clearly temporary.
"If the signs are there for a matter of days or weeks, not year round, but sporadically, they remind people to change their behaviour.
"It's a really simple solution, it doesn't need a million dollar campaign or consultants, it requires a dozen corflutes printed up through a local printer and put out every couple of months as reminders, and wheel out a speed detector sign as a reminder."
There are portable speed detection signs currently in place around the lake.
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The City of Ballarat confirmed in a statement the education campaign will be based online, on its website and through social media, and will target "encouraging safe driver, pedestrian and cyclist behaviour".
"At this stage, the final cost of the awareness campaign is unavailable. However, it will incorporate a full traffic survey and report, together with signage and road treatment changes if required," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"Traffic data indicating reduced speeds and a further reduction in the few vehicle accidents recorded around Wendouree Parade will be a measure of its success.
"Council will wait on the full traffic study and report outcomes before making a recommendation, including appropriate traffic calming measures if required."
Animal rescuers and advocates said more action will need to be taken to prevent traffic-related swan deaths - one of them, Jessica Robertson, said current speed limits needed more enforcement.
"There's a long-term risk for wildlife, and changes need to be made, people aren't going to stop speeding without measures in place," she said.
"If they're not stopped there will be continued fatalities."
Another rescuer, Heather Lewis, said the numbers of injured or deceased animals was "exhausting", particularly for volunteers with limited resources.
"There are costs involved for the carers, particularly for the swans, they're not easy to manage," she said.
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Cr Moloney and Ms Robertson both mentioned council staff have begun looking at ways to encourage swans and other wildlife away from the Gillies Street thoroughfare - more swan groups have been spotted near the Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre foraging, which presents a risk to the animals and traffic.
"We're trying to change the grass cutting processes as well - cutting back more consistently and trying to discourage the swans getting over there in the first place to find food," Cr Moloney said.
"We're not scaring them off with a mower, we're just trying to disrupt the grass and bug patterns so they don't see it as a good supply of food, then they stick to North Gardens and the lake precinct."
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