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More peafowl deaths prompt renewed calls for road improvements

Narrabundah Peafowlers Tim DeWan and Fiona Cameron on La Perouse Street, where two young peacocks were killed on Tuesday.  

Two further peafowl deaths in the Inner South on Tuesday have prompted community members to renew their calls for road safety improvements in parts of Red Hill and Narrabundah.

According to Convenor of local group the Narrabundah Peafowlers, Tim DeWan, the two young peacocks were killed when they were hit by a van on La Perouse Street on the afternoon of 27 April. 

Mr DeWan wants a roundabout at the intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent, 40km/h speed limits on either side of the intersection and road markings like zigzags and peacocks to remind people to slow down for the benefit of the birds and residents. Four โ€˜peafowl crossingโ€™ signs were installed at the intersection last year.

He says people taking โ€œan extra 10 secondsโ€ to get their destination could make a real difference to road safety in the area.

โ€œThis is a major thoroughfare for people coming from the south, people going to work in the City, people dropping their kids off at schoolsโ€ฆ but itโ€™s still in the middle of a suburb, a community.

โ€œWe want less traffic and slower speeds,โ€ he says.

โ€œWeโ€™re happy to give it to the experts, and then [they] consult with us, with the community.โ€

Mr DeWan says peafowl like Perseus, who was killed on Tuesday, are the unfortunate victims of increased dangerous driving in the area.

Mr DeWan says the local peafowl are simply the unfortunate victims of increased dangerous driving in the area. He estimates 30 birds used to call the area home, with around nine killed in the last 10-or-so months.

Griffith resident Leo Dobes, a member of both the Griffith-Narrabundah Community Association and the Inner South Canberra Community Council, shares the concerns about dangerous driving in the area.  

โ€œThere is speeding,โ€ he says.

โ€œBut the bigger problem is thereโ€™s quite a number of stop signs at dangerous intersections and theyโ€™re totally ignored.

โ€œItโ€™s irresponsible and itโ€™s going to cause an accident someday.โ€

Mr Dobes says the issues could be alleviated by more police in the area.  

โ€œIโ€™m not an expert on whatโ€™s going to be best for that intersection,โ€ he says. โ€œWe do need the government to have a good, hard look.โ€

The local community have concerns about the intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent in particular.

The Peafowlers met with City Services Minister Chris Steel in March and are awaiting action on their concerns.

A spokesperson for Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) says the directorate has commenced a traffic study to identify road safety issues in the area, which is expected to be complete in July.

โ€œFollowing this study, TCCS will undertake further engagement with the Narrabundah community,โ€ they said.


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