Videos: Sandy Point couple rescue another koala from middle of Heathcote Road

Kendel and Leo Gomez were driving home about midnight on Sunday when they saw what they thought was "either a bag of rubbish or a koala" on the other side of the road near the turnoff to their suburb.

When they turned back, they found a koala "dawdling down the middle of the northbound side of the road".

When the koala didn't respond to the car's high beam lights, Mr Gomez got out and, after talking quietly to put him at ease, used a tree branch to gently prod him until he was off the road.

"He went into the bush and straight up a tree," Mr Gomez said.

"It was lucky there was no traffic at that time. A short time later, a line of cars went through."

Mr Gomez said his wife deserved the credit because she had insisted on turning back to check if it was a koala, and then taking action.

"I just followed orders," he joked.

Earlier this month, the Sutherland Environment Centre and 12 other environment groups agreed to join in an appeal to Roads Minister John Graham to urgently address koala vehicle strike "hot spots", including Heathcote Road.

The decision to write a joint letter to Mr Graham was initiated by shire group delegates at the annual general meeting of the Nature Conservation Council on November 11.

A spokesman said environment groups had lost confidence in Transport for NSW's ability to manage the growing incidence of koalas being struck by vehicles.

"The absolute minimal interventions are only made after intense lobbying by environment groups on case by case, and important mitigation measures to prevent road kill are being delayed because Transport NSW will not commit to best practice mitigation to safely protect both people and endangered koalas," he said.

A fact sheet issued by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in June 2020 said vehicle strike was "one of the most frequently reported causes of injury and death for koalas brought into care by wildlife rehabilitation groups."

The document said "Even small reductions in vehicle speeds can reduce the incidence of wildlife vehicle strike."

A recently released consultant's report, commissioned by the Sydney Basin Koala Network, found vehicle strikes had quintupled in Sutherland Shire and doubled in neighbouring local government areas.

Eleven koalas have been reported killed on Heathcote Road in the last year.