Changes urged to Phoenix Park junction where cyclist killed

Changes to the road layout at Phoenix Park where a cyclist was killed could save the lives of others, an inquest has heard.

The jury at the inquest into the death of Daragh Ryan (30) recommended an examination of the junction where he died attempting to enter the Dublin park on his bicycle.

The accident happened on the Conyngham Road as the he tried to cross the road to enter the park through the Islandbridge Gate on March 12th 2017.

Mr Ryan’s mother Dr Sarah Rogers said the recommendation was “ one consolation for us having lost our beloved son”

She described her son, an experienced cyclist who was training for a cycling trip abroad as ‘kind, gentle and loving.’ Mr Ryan worked part-time with an IT firm having completed a degree in classical civilisation and a diploma in psychology.

Driver wept

The driver of the car that struck the cyclist wept in court as she recalled the incident. Maria McGeever said and said she did not see the cyclist until he struck the windscreen. Mr Ryan, from Heytesbury Street in Portobello, Dublin 8 was thrown into the air following the collision.

He suffered multiple traumatic injuries to his head and chest due to the impact and died later in hospital.

Witnesses said they felt the cyclist had made a ‘bad error’ at 2.05pm on what was described as a clear, dry Sunday afternoon.

Rachel Kay said she saw the cyclist stopped on the white line waiting to cross the road.

“As he started to turn I thought he was in trouble. He picked the worst time to cross the lane. The car hit his peddle, he hit the bonnet and went up in the air,” she said.

The cyclist was thrown 17 metres from the point of impact and was unresponsive.

“I just kept speaking to him until the ambulance arrived,” she said.

Charles Forrester, a passenger in Ms Kay’s car, said he felt the cyclist had made “a bad error.”

A forensic collision report found the car that struck the cyclist was travelling at 56kmph. Garda Patrick McIlroy said the Islandbridge Gate provides for traffic exiting the park only but the gate is routinely used by cyclists and pedestrians entering the park.

Pedestrian access is through a rotary gate. The speed limit in the area is 50kmph.

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and no charges were brought. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death .