It's koala breeding season and this means koalas are out looking for mates.
It's also the time of year when koalas are very vulnerable and are often hit by cars.
A $65,000 grant from the NSW Government will see new, temporary lighting installed on the Hinterland Way near Bangalow, a hotspot for koala activity.
"Between 2019 and 2025, 18 koalas died on the Hinterland Way, just outside Bangalow, so we are hoping the temporary lights will give drivers more of a chance to see them and avoid them," Liz Caddick, Council's Biodiversity Team Leader, said.
"Electronic message boards will also be in place, warning drivers about koala activity in the area," she said.
"We are very grateful to the NSW Government for providing funding for the lights and message boards and I know that Bangalow Koalas, led by the amazing Linda Sparrow, is also very supportive and thankful for this initiative," Ms Caddick said.
In 2024, after the sad death of well-known local koala, Moji, Council successfully trialed the use of a solar-powered lighting tower to illuminate a dark section of Broken Head Road at Byron Bay.
After the installation of the lights there were no further koala road deaths in that location.
This new project is being funded by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
