Safety concerns have been expressed over coach operators defying Clare County Council's planned price rises for the Cliffs of Moher site by opting not to use the new car park and instead dropping off tourists at the roadside.
The charge for coach operators using the new €31.5 million visitor centre is being increased this week. A car will be charged €8, a bus or coach with 15 people on board €25, with 16-39 on board €50 and with 40 passengers or more €60. The original charge was a flat fee of €5.
Ger Dollard, project leader at the Cliffs of Moher centre, said that coach operators were already opting not to use the car park.
"This has been occurring even in cases where tour operators have fully agreed the proposed new charges and have made bookings on that basis. There are serious traffic issues and health and safety issues associated with the practice of parking and dropping visitors on the road," he said.
"The council is also concerned that such a practice is being employed . . . where the tour operator has made bookings with the Cliffs of Moher centre for group visits, and the full benefit of the new facilities is not being afforded to these visitors, despite prior arrangements being made."
Mr Dollard added: "It is disappointing at this late stage that the coach operators do not accept the arrangements now in place, which are very fair and reasonable when account is taken of the facilities provided at the cliffs"
At a meeting last Friday, coach operators failed in an attempt to persuade the council to reduce its charges.
Cora Collins, chief executive of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council, has accused Clare County Council of being antagonistic in its approach to the charges issue. She added: "To say we didn't get anywhere is putting it mildly."
Jackie Cronin, of Ennis-based Glynn's Coaches, says that the council is asking the operators to do its "dirty work" for it by imposing the facilities charge rather than by charging people individually at the gate.
Jim Deegan, managing director of Railtours Ireland, said: "The council has grossly underestimated the depth of opposition to the new charges. They are too much, too soon. Implementation of the new charges by the council has been clumsy and confrontational. The council has been engaging in bully-boy tactics.
"There is no move whatsoever from the council on the charges. It is being completely inflexible and there is a reluctance to negotiate. We are dismayed and disappointed by the council's attitude."
Mr Deegan continued: "It is not an option not to go to the Cliffs of Moher for us as a company, but we won't be parking the coaches in the car park. It is all very unfortunate, as the new visitor centre is very positive."
Mr Dollard commented: "The meeting on Friday last was held in the public area of the first-floor restaurant in the centre. I don't know how, in such an environment, the meeting could be described as hostile, and I would suggest that it is the coach operators, by their actions and their references such as 'dirty work', who are engaging in such an approach.
"On the issue of charges, the council has made its position clear on a number of occasions. We have undergone a long process in the last two years in engaging with individual operators and we have met with representative groups where requested to do so.
"We have significantly moved from our original approach on two occasions directly on foot of representations made by the industry. We have introduced a number of discount schemes which will assist other tourist attractions in the area and offer opportunities to coach operators to substantially reduce the charges proposed."
Mr Dollard said that the charges would be reviewed at the end of the year.
