'Twas almost 'fisticuffs' in Caha Pass tunnel

A WEST Cork councillor has called for the tunnel at the Caha Pass to be properly lit.

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind) raised the matter at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District saying there have been too many near misses to ignore the danger any longer.

He asked Council officials to write to Kerry County Council with the intention of making a joint plea to Transport Infrastructure Ireland to light the tunnel which spans the Cork and Kerry border.

‘Although the boundary line is in the middle, the tunnel is under the control of Kerry County Council. They maintain the tunnel,’ engineer Ruth O’Brien told the councillors.

Cllr Karen Coakley (Ind) said both counties are affected so they should work together to find a solution. The engineer said there is very clear signage for motorists to yield to oncoming traffic through the tunnel but people are ignoring it.

But Cllr Collins said it is dark in daytime and people who forget to put on their lights get a fright.

‘It is, of course, worse at night time, you have to be wary driving through it,’ he said.

He said the tunnel which was built in the 1840s is used by cyclists and bus operators and they require some kind of lighting for safety reasons.

Cllr Joe Carroll (FF), a former bus driver, said new Bus Éireann routes from Skibbereen to Killarney means the volume of traffic through the tunnel has increased.

‘One driver told me there was nearly fisticuffs because a car wouldn’t go back and the bus couldn’t go back,’ he said. ‘You can’t have arguments in the middle of the tunnel. Something has to be done about it,’ he added.

Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) agreed, saying: ‘It is essential that there is a lighting system in there.’

Senior executive officer Noreen O’Mahony said she would write to Kerry County Council asking for their support.