FINE Gael councillor Sarah Kiely confessed to Council members at this week’s Metropolitan District meeting that she would head for home or the train station if she had to answer nature’s call while caught unprepared in the city centre.
After being informed by Limerick City and County Council that there are just two public toilets in the city – one at Bedford Row and another on Mallow Street at the People’s Park – Cllr Kiely became flushed with rage.
The City East representative asked for a map to be developed showing all the public toilets in the city centre and was not impressed upon seeing a number two in response.
“We need to up our game here. There probably is an infrastructural need regarding this. So Mallow Street or Bedford Row – stay this side and don’t venture to the other side of the city near Arthur’s Quay, which to be fair, have very good toilet facilities,” Cllr Kiely told the Council chamber
“We have two public toilets and neither of them are useful, in my opinion. I’ve passed there a few times and there’s no way you’d use them. I’d rather go home or go to the train station,” she told the gathered public representatives.
Cllr Kiely also took the view that having public toilets available to people would make the city centre more welcoming and equitable. She also reckoned it would support tourism and enable active lifestyle users to stay in the city after exercising.
Seconding the motion, Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan told the chamber that she had spoken to older women who don’t like travelling into the city centre in the evening time because of lack of access to public toilets.
“I think a map would be really helpful. There are certain ones we all know. I might spritz a bit of perfume on as well when I’m using the ones in Brown Thomas,” Cllr O’Donovan revealed.
Independent councillor Ursula Gavan also added her support to Cllr Kiely’s motion, deeming access to toilet facilities as a basic human right.
“This is one of the banes of my mother’s life. She’s asked me to raise this as well. I think it’s actually shameful that we don’t have more public toilets on the streets,” Cllr Gavan concluded.
