The widow of a North Clare man killed in a crash last year doesn’t believe newly-proposed “drive on left” road signs will be “of huge help” unless they’re put in the right places.
It comes as an update to the Traffic Signs Manual, which will see two new road signs aimed at reminding tourists to drive on the correct side of the road, have been approved by the Department of Transport.
Residents of tourism-heavy regions of Clare will be all too familiar with issues surrounding a lack of familiarity with Irish roads, which has been known to result in some drivers from other countries forgetting to drive on the left while holidaying here.
Now, a solution has been put forward in the form of two new road signs contained in the updated Traffic Signs Manual which has just been signed off on by Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless.
The first sign, which is designed to be understood by non-English speakers, displays the words “attention” and “drive on left” as well as a diagram, and is to be used at exists from ferry ports and airports, with pairs of signs to be placed on the left and right hand verges a short distance from the exit.
The second sign, described as a “repeater sign”, only shows a diagram reminding motorists to drive on the left, and is intended to be used where traffic exits from a tourist site onto a lightly trafficked single carriageway.
Ballyvaughan resident Helga Himmelsbach, whose husband Jeremiah O’Connor lost his life when his motorcycle collided with the car of a French tourist in July of last year, says a “multi-pronged approach” is required.
Lisdoonvarna Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy has long campaigned for additional signage on the roads of North and West Clare as a means of reducing the number of collisions in the area.
In September of this year, a motion tabled by Councillor Garrihy calling for the installation of directional arrows at entrances and exits to towns and villages was approved by the local authority.
He believes car hire companies must bear some responsibility for incidents that take place on this county’s roads.
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