Safety signs, finally
One of our busiest tourist spots, the Gap of Dunloe, is to get signage on dangers after death of US woman
KERRY County Council looks set to tackle safety for cyclists at the Gap of Dunloe, by erecting signs warning them of the dangers of the narrow pass.
The move comes just days after the inquest into the death of American tourist Janet Price who lost her life in a biking accident on the Gap in May last year.
A verdict of ‘accidental death’ was returned at the inquest of Janet Price, 69, at Kerry’s Coroner’s court in Killarney last week.
Ms Price’s daughters broke down in tears as the jury delivered the verdict.
Coroner Aisling Quilter and the jury issued a recommendation that adequate warning signs be erected at the Kerry beauty spot to alert all road users to the steep descent and sharp bends. The road bend where Ms Price came off her bike and skidded underneath a 4x4 involved a sharp 140 degree bend – but there was no warning on the road.
Kerry County Council said it will also ‘engage with the tourism sector’ to develop a guide for cyclists throughout the county’, it has said. ‘Kerry County Council will arrange for the erection of appropriate signage at the Gap of Dunloe to advise cyclists, in particular, of the alignment/character of the Gap of Dunloe route. The Council will also engage with the tourism sector with a view to developing an appropriate guide for cyclists on this and other popular scenic cycle routes in the county,’ it said in a statement this weekend.
The guide is set to grade the most popular cycleways in relation to steepness, traffic and other challenges. A guide is likely to be distributed to bike-hire companies, hotels and hostels.
The inquest last week heard how another experienced mountain biker lost control and skidded across the road at the very same bend – right in front of a Garda forensics expert investigating Ms Price’s death.
The Garda told the inquest the ‘very severe’ bend was not normal, it turned back on itself and there were no markings or signs to indicate the danger.
Don Theiler, Ms Price’s husband, had been pleading with the council to erect signage, since his wife’s death. The route was busier than he expected and, as well as pony and traps and cyclists, it also carried pedestrians and vehicles.
Locals have also been voicing concerns. A delegation of residents told a county council meeting in Killorglin last September of a ‘huge increase’ in tourist and leisure traffic.
Meanwhile, Ms Price’s daughter Jennifer told the Irish Daily Mail last week that if her mother had
‘No one warned her of the dangers’
known of the dangers then she may never have taken the bicycle ride. ‘What my Mom needed was for someone to explain the dangers, but nobody did. She and Don were just given the bikes and off they went,’ she said.
Council engineers have been asked to come up with a new traffic plan, including better signage.