Gap of Dunloe to get warning signs after US cyclist killed
Kerry County Council is to erect signs at the Gap of Dunloe, warning cyclists of the dangers of the narrow pass, and it will also develop a guide for cyclists.
The guide will grade the most popular cycleways, with regard to steepness, traffic, and other challenges, in Kerry, and is likely to be distributed to bike-hire companies, hotels, and hostels.
This follows calls by the family of an American woman, who was killed in May 2017 while negotiating a 140-degree bend on the steep, meandering route, to provide signage warning of the dangers posed on the Gap of Dunloe.
Janet Price, aged 69, from Washington USA, was not an experienced cyclist and her daughter, Erika, believes neither she nor her husband, Don Theiler, would have undertaken the dangerous route had they realised that the Gap of Dunloe route was busy and challenging.
The route is used by pony and traps, cyclists, pedestrians, and cars.
An inquest into her death last Thursday heard how Ms Price had been on the last day of her holidays and had very much looked forward to going through the Killarney National Park.
She, her husband, and a friend had hired bikes that morning, May 30, in Killarney, and had set off by Gap Boat from Reen Pier, in Ross Castle, disembarking at Brandon’s Cottage, where they had lunch.
They had partly walked and cycled to the top of the Gap of Dunloe, an 11.5km route between the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks and the Purple Mountain.
However, on the way down towards Kate Kearney’s Cottage, Ms Price lost control of the bike after a series of bends, and was thrown from it, ending up under a sheep trailer.
An expert garda witness told the inquest that the “very severe” bend was not normal, as it turned back on itself, and there were no markings or signs to indicate the danger.
He said he had witnessed an experienced mountain biker lose control and skid across the road at the very same bend.
While the jury returned a verdict of accidental death, in accordance with the medical evidence, both the jury and the coroner recommended that warning signs should be provided.
Mr Theiler has pleaded with the council to erect signage since his wife’s death.
Ms Price’s daughter, Erika, said after the inquest: “I think, if they had been warned that it was not for beginner cyclists, they might not have gone.”
In a statement issued over the weekend, Kerry County Council said it 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.
It said it “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”.
Locals have also been voicing their concerns about the safety of the route. A delegation of residents told a county council meeting in Killorglin, last September, about the “huge increase” in tourist and leisure traffic, as a result of the successful promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way and the increased interest in walking and cycling.
However, they warned the South & West Kerry Municipal District meeting that the infrastructure is not in place to help tourists or residents, the meeting was told, as cyclists, walkers, cars, and horses and traps were all crowding onto the single-lane road.
The Black valley is home to 70 people, most of them involved in farming.
Council engineers were asked to come up with a new traffic plan, including better and more imaginative signage.
