AUTHORITIES IN one of Ireland’s best-known beauty spots are finally cracking the whip on horse-and-cart drivers who may be tempted to tell tall tales to tourists or let their animals defecate in public.
Boatmen and other commercial operators in Killarney National Park will also be targeted by a new penalty point system, with fines and points for a range of offences including non-wearing of dung-catchers and “abuse of a horse” in the case of jarveys. Traditionally tolerated “yarns” by the boatmen and jarveys are also coming in for close scrutiny for any misleading content.
Attracting millions of visitors each year, the park is a hive of commercial activity with dozens of annual permits issued for a range of businesses.
The penalty points, modelled on the system applied to road traffic offences by the Garda, will also govern non-use of life jackets or over-crowding in the case of boats, park management stressed yesterday, and are being applied to permits of those who operate under licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Those with 10 or more points may not have their licences renewed.
Pat Dawson, regional manager with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, stressed the penalty-point system was aimed at encouraging good behaviour and best practice.
“We want to improve the regulation of all commercial operations in the park, and this includes pony trekking and boating,” he said.
Those renewing permits with the park this autumn will be told they must give the correct information to tourists, they must only carry the correct number of passengers and they must have proper insurance or they will receive penalty points.
Some 35 jaunting car permits and a dozen commercial boating permits are issued annually. Although not an issue this year, the speed of jaunting cars and boats may be regulated in next year’s penalty point system, Mr Dawson said.
The non-display of a proper registration number will net two points, and failure to have a dung-catcher at a jarvey stand will be another two points. Each penalty point has a €10 fine. An incorrectly fitted or maladjusted dung-catcher will cost another €20, as will failure to have a dung-catcher emptied at the jaunting car stand.
Bigger penalties are imposed for unruly behaviour (five points) and operating a jaunting car without a valid permit (10 points). Abusing a horse is also to attract 10 points.
The levy of €10 will be imposed in respect of each penalty point applied. It will be payable in full to the National Parks and Wildlife Service within one calendar month.