Man dies in Kerry hit and run incident

Gardaí are investigating a hit and run which resulted in the death of cyclist yesterday morning near Rathmore, Co Kerry.

A male cyclist in his early 40s was cycling between 8am and 10am in the townland of Scrahanfadda - close to the village of Gneeveguillam - when the collision occurred.

The road was closed yesterday, pending the completion of an examination by Garda’s forensic collision investigators. Local diversions were in place last night.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to the collision, or anyone who may have travelled on the road to or from Killarney via Gneeveguilla, to contact them in Kanturk Garda Station (028-20680) or on its confidential phone line (1800 666 111).

In a separate incident, a man in his 20s died when his motorbike collided with a car at Inchaboy South, Gort, Co Galway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two people in the car were taken to hospital for minor injuries.

The scene of the accident was sealed off yesterday as Garda collision investigators carried out an examination.

Separately, Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins has said that cuts to Garda numbers have resulted in a fall-off in enforcement of road traffic legislation that has been a factor in the significant increase in road deaths.

He made his remarks after it emerged road deaths jumped by nearly 62 per cent in the three months since the end of March compared with the same period last year, from 34 fatalities to 55.

Mr Higgins said he has written to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to raise the issue.

“The fear of getting a number of penalty points is disappearing and we all need to see a Garda presence at the roadside to remind us to respect the rules of the road. My deep concern, however, is the trend that is developing in the wrong direction,” he said.