Cr Peter Harkin said crashes involving international tourists were inevitable unless clearer signs, including arrows painted on the Great Ocean Road and inland feeder roads, were installed.

The Coastal Ward councillor decided to speak publicly on the issue after the death of male tourist last week. The man died after a two car collision near Cooriemungle last month. A 57-year-old female passenger of the same vehicle died at the scene.

The driver of the second car, a 34-year-old Cooriemungle man, was treated by ambulance officers at the scene for minor injuries.

Cr Harkin said it had been alleged the tourists had been on the wrong side of the road which “was becoming an all too frequent event”.

“Every local in the southern end of the shire will have a story about a close call or cars parked on the road, people taking photos of cows or cars driving on the wrong side of the road,” he said. 

“It’s not going away this problem, it’s actually getting worse. 

“This wasn’t on the Great Ocean Road it was on the Princetown Road so it just shows you don’t have to be on the main road for there to be a problem.”

Cr Harkin said for sometime people had been coming to him complaining of international tourists driving on the wrong side of the road and a series of near misses.

He said he had seen two cars parked half on the road near Princetown with the occupants sitting eating their lunch. 

He said he wanted large arrows painted on the road and hire cars to have arrows with directions to drive on the left hand side of the road.

“This problem isn’t going away,” he said. 

“I’m calling on all levels of government to do something about it. 

“Otherwise it will happen more and more.”

Cr Harkin said he had no doubt if there were not major safety improvements on the road there would be another death. 

“It’s not if, it’s when.”