Public Toilets

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FredBloggs

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I drove Dublin to Kerry and back last week and one thing struck me - the lack of public toilets on the route. There is only one that I know of in Tipperary. When you've a number of kids in the car who regularly want to do the business it ain't easy finding somewhere to stop.
Yes, the side of the road is an option for boys but not always and not for girls. And it shouldn't have to be.
We had to use a number of pubs/restaurants even though some of these had "Toilets for Customer use" notices all over the place. You can understand their not wanting to be used for this type of pit stop!

Surely the county councils should be oblidged to provide them on our national routes
 
Perhaps they should. It would be nice to have somewhere for the druggies and alcos to shelter from the real world....
 
I travel the OP's route twice a week and know the stop. Always four or five vehicles there. But I wonder what types inhabit these places after hours? After all, most of the street public toilets have been disbanded for that reason.
 
Simeon said:
I travel the OP's route twice a week and know the stop. Always four or five vehicles there. But I wonder what types inhabit these places after hours? After all, most of the street public toilets have been disbanded for that reason.
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Yes - I'd agree with that. But in other countries they have attendants who monitor such facilities. Surely on our major routes there should be at least a couple of public toilets and you shouldn't have to use pubs/restaurants.
 
Dublin to Wicklow is just as bad. I've been caught short on that route a couple of times. One petrol station assistant told me they don't allow people to use toilets because they might do drugs. Another agreed to let me use the staff toilets so long as I "didn't leave a mess" At least they let me but I've learnt from experience not to drink too much and always "go" before I set off.

With kids it must be a nightmare, my own two were never "toilet tourists" thank god.
 
FredBloggs said:
Yes - I'd agree with that. But in other countries they have attendants who monitor such facilities. Surely on our major routes there should be at least a couple of public toilets and you shouldn't have to use pubs/restaurants.
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Incidentally, the dirtiest public toilet I have ever seen was in Germany, in one of those automatic, "pay as you go" kiosks. I've noticed in Germany how many pubs, cafes etc have toilets free for customers but charge non-customers 50 cent to use them. I think that's a great idea.
 
ubiquitous said:
Incidentally, the dirtiest public toilet I have ever seen was in Germany, in one of those automatic, "pay as you go" kiosks. I've noticed in Germany how many pubs, cafes etc have toilets free for customers but charge non-customers 50 cent to use them. I think that's a great idea.
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I think its a great idea too. There's nothing worse than "sneaking" into a pub toilet with a couple of children in tow. Granted a lot of places don't mind but as I said a lot also "ban" non customers from using the facilities so you've either to rush in and rush out and hope you're not spotted or buy something which you probably don't want. (and if its a pub and you buy a drink for your children you end up with the same problem again a couple of miles up the road!)
 
FredBloggs said:
I drove Dublin to Kerry and back last week and one thing struck me - the lack of public toilets on the route. There is only one that I know of in Tipperary. When you've a number of kids in the car who regularly want to do the business it ain't easy finding somewhere to stop. Surely the county councils should be oblidged to provide them on our national routes
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IMHO what we need here are what is described in the UK as services. In the last 10 -15 years in Ireland we have put in ever increasing amounts of motorway and dual carriageways but no services. You need to be able to stop for food/drinks/rest/toilets and these services should be available on all the main routes.
 
Maybe it was meant to convey the message that the flush mechanism was working and to do exactly that. And then use the brush.;)
 
I have the answer to The Lack of toilets on Route's, As most of us that travel can only use filling station toilets if they have one or let you use it.
So it should be made part of their Planning Permission to have a public toilet available. God knows they have had a boom with their fast food deli trend the we all aspired to so readily in the last few years, its the least that should be done, How come thies places that serve food are let do it without providing washrooms. If this was the case we would never have to beg someplace for to be let have a pee. No Toilet No Food No Planning.
 
If you travel on the new road between Athlone and Dublin — now with all the towns bypassed (thankfully) — there are no service areas at all unless you divert off the route. When the new route was being built, the National Roads Authority should have been obliged to provide service areas at various intervals. There are a few lay-bys but no toilet facilities or nowhere you can even stop for a cuppa. This is disgraceful.
 
FredBloggs said:
I drove Dublin to Kerry and back last week and one thing struck me - the lack of public toilets on the route. There is only one that I know of in Tipperary. When you've a number of kids in the car who regularly want to do the business it ain't easy finding somewhere to stop.
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There's a great garage on the way into Mountrath on the Dublin side before the bend in the road into the town. It has a fab deli, toilets and showers! Don't know how long it will stay that way but it was spotless the last time we stopped.

This has now become my stop of choice on the way home via Limerick, beats the socks off McDonalds in Roscrea. Incidentally there are also toilets in the Tesco shopping centre in Roscrea if you care to detour from the N7 for a few mins.
 
I fully agree with all the senidments expressed about the lack of facilities on our main routes. There seems to be no joined up thinking at all, I stopped recently at the Complex at the Portlaoise roundabout where the N7 & N8 join, and while there is food and toilets, there is no petrol, I couldn't believe it, had to stop again in Mountrath, which was very annoying.
 
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