A call to make the roads safer for everyone came yesterday following Wednesday night's horrific crash between a cycle and a horse which took Anthony Eugene Douglas' life.

Horse and buggy operator Dee Charles told The Royal Gazette that operators often had problems with drivers on the road.

And one reason was that there were no signs on the carriage drivers' routes warning motorists to watch out for them.

Only last year, she added, she had broken her back when the carriage she was driving was struck from behind by a car driven by a drunk driver and she was catapulted onto the pavement.

Ms Charles said operators had pleaded for their routes to be marked with signs warning motorists of their presence.

But Corporation of Hamilton secretary Roger Sherratt denied this.

Mr. Sherratt said the Corporation met with operators periodically, but the issue of sign posting their routes had never been raised.

He added that as far as he was aware not all carriage drivers followed the same routes.

And he warned signs would only help those unfamiliar with routes -- not people driving recklessly or too fast.

But he stressed the Corporation would be looking to the Police on the conclusion of their investigation into the accident for advice as to how they could help prevent such an incident from happening again.

Mr. Sherratt said the Corporation was working with buggy operators on routes they could take that caused less interference and interaction with motorists after receiving several complaints from members of the public.

He added that previous complaints had been received about hours of operation for the buggy operators, specifically concerning rush hour traffic, but these had been resolved.

In an unwritten agreement, buggy operators tried to stay off the road during those hours when traffic was at its peak. The accident has also prompted Police to remind motorists of some basic guidelines to follow when in the vicinity of all horses -- whether they are pulling a carriage or not.

Police spokesman P.c. Gary Venning said motorists should reduce speed when approaching horses and not sound their horns or make sudden, unexpected noises.

He said motorists should only overtake horses when it was safe to do so and should give them a wide berth.

He added that motorists should be aware of horse and carriages using roads on the outskirts of Hamilton and anticipate the possibility of encountering them.

P.c. Venning also asked buggy operators to make sure their carriages were well illuminated at night and to avoid following close behind another carriage as this made overtaking very difficult for motorists.

And he reiterated Mr. Sherratt's point that they should try and avoid main roads during the busy rush hour periods.

Mr. Douglas, 32, was thrown from his bike and trampled by a terrified horse after he hit a carriage head-on shortly after 8 p.m. on Par-La-Ville Road.

Eyewitnesses said he was speeding and had just overtaken two carriages when he struck the oncoming buggy driven by Leroy Brangman.

A man and woman near the scene rushed to help and gave Mr. Douglas medical treatment before an ambulance took him to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where it is understood he was pronounced dead on arrival.

And yesterday Mr. Brangman stressed that Mr. Douglas had been close to the horse, but was not stamped as he had managed to keep control of the animal.

He said bystanders, including the visitors who were riding in his carriage, had complimented him on the way he had handled the terrified animal.

The road death is the fourth this year and came only days after Craig Astwood was killed when his cycle collided with a van on South Shore Road.