Narrabundah's famed ostentation of peafowl will disappear from the inner south suburb's streets in two years if urgent changes to slow traffic are not made, the birds' community advocates say.
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Nine peafowl have been killed by vehicles since special wildlife crossing signs were installed on La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent in the middle of last year. Two birds were killed on Tuesday.
If nothing changes, it is only a matter of time a child is killed in an accident at the same spot, nearby residents say.
Narrabundah Peafowlers convenor Timothy DeWan said the plight of the peafowl was the same as a canary in a coalmine, revealing a larger problem with dangerous traffic.
"The traffic flows are increasing, the speeds are increasing. It is becoming much more dangerous to walk on our streets. We have parents at the local primary school who will not let their children cycle or walk to school because they consider the streets too dangerous, and drive their children to school - which actually creates even a greater danger to the community," Mr DeWan said.
Mr DeWan said the streets of Narrabundah were designed in the '50s and '60s when the suburb was on Canberra's southern edge and only every second household owned a car.
"It is now a major thoroughfare from the south for people travelling to work, [with] construction sites around the place. It has now turned the streets into a danger zone, where we are experiencing car crashes and where we are losing our peafowl," he said.
The Narrabundah Peafowlers met with Transport Minister Chris Steel in March to discuss traffic calming options. The group proposed a roundabout for the intersection of La Perouse Street and Carnegie Crescent and a 40km/h zone in the area.
The group was told the government would assess the traffic before further community consultation.
But Mr DeWan said there was no evidence the traffic study had begun.
"We want the government to talk seriously to us. We don't want communication. We want meaningful discussion. It has to be two ways, not just the government putting out things in the letter box," he said.
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A spokesman for Transport Canberra and City Services said the directorate had begun a traffic study of the area, which was expected to be completed by July.
"Following this study, TCCS will undertake further engagement with the Narrabundah community," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the ACT government was committed to supporting inner south communities in managing peafowl.
"This includes the installation of road signage in areas frequented by peafowl to raise awareness of drivers and pedestrians," the spokesman said.
Following local community pressure, the ACT government overturned a 2018 decision to permanently remove the peafowl from Narrabundah.
The campaign to save the birds from euthanasia and an annual trapping program made international headlines, with Chief Minister Andrew Barr even signing a petition against his own government's proposal.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
