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Residents take to Facebook to bemoan traffic and parking problems

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Angry locals have taken to social media to vent their frustrations over Killarney’s ongoing traffic and parking problems. Commenting on last week’s article (‘Has Killarney’s traffic problem reached breaking point?’) on the Killarney Advertiser Facebook page, fuming motorists expressed their dismay at the current situation, with some branding it a “nightmare”.

Congestion seems to have reached new levels this summer as residents and visitors alike are finding themselves stuck in long lines of traffic approaching and leaving all sides of the town.

As we mentioned last week (and numerous times before that), the recent TEIR 1 tourism report highlighted parking and traffic as major concerns for tourists and business owners alike. The report also predicted a 30% increase in tourism over the next seven years. Parking and infrastructure in general will clearly have to be addressed if this growth is to be sustained.

We contacted the Kerry County Council to ask if anything concrete plans were in place to tackle the issue but we are yet to receive a response. Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser in this week’s Smalltalk interview (see P16), Mayor John Sheahan admitted that parking and the interlinked issue of traffic were the biggest challenges facing the town.

He added that the new car park on the Rock Road will help alleviate the problem and also said they were looking at the Lewis Road site.

The latter has been signalled as an ideal area for development in these pages since last year, and our artist’s rendition of a proposed civic plaza and multi-storey car park was greeted warmly by our readers.

One thing is for sure: the majority of Killarney people are not happy with the current situation.

Facebook comments:

Michael Kelleher: Parking is the issue. Closing off a car park in the middle of the summer season and not providing a replacement for the temporarily lost spaces when spaces are at a premium.

Danijel Baždarić: Traffic in Killarney is really a big problem.

Brigid Mary O'Neill: Beyond ridiculous!

Carl Williams: I had to go pick up people in Cork Airport last week. It took me 1 hr 20 mins to get from Killorglin to other side of Killarney. It's a disgrace really.

Teresa Moynihan Fox: Why not set up a park and ride system?

Mary Ellen O’Sullivan: Killarney traffic is a nightmare. Roadworks are constant in the middle of the busy season. Stop and go lollipops and queues mounting, not to mention no parking spaces. It’s getting worse all the time. Will someone wake up and try to solve this huge problem that’s causing chaos in such a busy tourist town?

Jordan Naughton: Why on God’s Earth do they not build a huge multi-storey car park?

 

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Con O’Leary: Killarney loses a vibrant and popular personality

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has led the tributes to the late Con O’Leary, an extremely popular and very successful businessman in the town, who passed away in the early hours of Sunday.

Con was a vibrant and popular personality in Killarney where he operated The Laurels on Main Street, a thriving bar and restaurant, which he inherited following the passing of his father, Thado.
The business organisation said from a social perspective, The Laurels became the beating heart of the town and it was a landmark at the Market Cross in the same way as Clery’s clock was in the capital city.
Chamber said Con’s passing really marks the end of an era as he was one of a golden age of inspirational local business people who developed and built Killarney, through hard work, bravery and great commercial flair, and helped create the wonderful tourist attraction and holiday destination it is today.
“Con was very proud of Killarney and he played a very active part in progressing the town at many levels.
“He was a man that was never short of great ideas and his contribution to the business life of the town and as a director of Killarney Race Company was immense,” Chamber said.
“He was ahead of his time in many respects with the introduction by what became known as “the singing lounge” many years ago and The Laurels always led by example through its successes in the annual Killarney Looking Good competition”.
The business representative organisation noted that the O’Leary family has always been very supporting of the town and Con’s daughter, Kate, was a very dynamic Chamber President and is still a very valued member of the executive.
Chamber expressed deep sympathy to Con’s wife, Anne, children Kate, Niall, Tara and Lorna, sons-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, relatives and friends as well as the dedicated staff in The Laurels, past and present, who Con always had great time for and a great rapport with.

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All Roads Lead To Kerry For National Road Safety Conference

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29. The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event […]

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Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/

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