NARROW: The entrance to the new coach park on Rock Road is causing issues for coach and bus drivers. Pictured is bus operator Ken O'Day. Photo: Sean Moriarty

By Sean Moriarty

Coach and bus operators in Killarney have hit out at Kerry County Council this week saying the entrance to a brand new coach park on Rock Road is not suitable for their vehicles.

The new facility, billed as one of the saviours to Killarney’s traffic problems, opened last month - but the entrance to the car park is a foot wider than the bus entrance - causing serious concerns for coach drivers.

Coach operators, both local and visiting tours, have been asked to park there as opposed to the old bus park adjacent to Lewis Road car park.

However, drivers say the entrance for busses is too narrow and that getting into the car park takes at least two or three manoeuvres in traffic.

The Rock Road entrance features two drop-down barriers and two stands placed on a central island. The entrance is 15ft 9’ wide, one foot narrower than the car park entrance - but the island is the main bone of contention.

The older bus park on Lewis Road was operated without the need of the island in the middle to accommodate each side of the barrier.

One local operator, Ken O’Day, who runs O’Day’s of Kerry and West Cork Bus Hire in Killarney wants the Council to remove the central island and replace it with the same style barrier that served the Lewis Road car park for so long.

“Not alone is the width an issue, but there is no central island where the cars exit,” Mr O’Day said. “There is going be an accident here and I am calling on this to be looked at and changed now before it is too late. Only the other day I saw a coach driver reversing back onto the road to make the entrance, at a time when there were cars, bicycles and pedestrians around.”

Another operator, who did not want to be named, backed up O’Day’s concerns.

“I need the Council for my licence so I don’t want to be making noise in my home town,” he said. “The facility is perfect and we all like the general layout of the place but the entrance and exit could be thought out better. Bigger coaches will get damaged getting in and out of the place and drivers can’t get in out in one swing. Traffic coming in and out the Tralee road is being held up.”

Kerry County Council are calling for patience as people adjust to any new arrangements in the town, saying that the new bus park has created 120 new car parking spaces on the old bus parking site on Lewis Road.

“Kerry County Council is broadly very pleased with the response to the new bus and car park on Rock Road. Like any new arrangement, there will always be a period of adjustment and getting used to new facilities such as this,” said a Council spokesperson. “Anyone with any concerns or issues such as this can raise them with Council staff and we will be happy to discuss them. There have been some discussions with bus drivers to everyone’s mutual satisfaction. The removal of buses from the Lewis Road car park has created space for an additional 120 cars at this car park which has been very well received locally.”

[caption id="attachment_26887" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] NARROW: The entrance to the new coach park on Rock Road is causing issues for coach and bus drivers. Pictured is bus operator Ken O'Day. Photo: Sean Moriarty[/caption]