Sligo. Worst run town in Ireland?

il gatto

Sligo town has no public toilet. The by-pass goes straight through the middle of town. Parking is €1.20 an hour( I think). There's no public toilet. Argos isn't allowed into town. Taxi's are priciest in Ireland. There's no public toilet. They spent tens of thousands of euro on a place for swans to nest(outside the Velvet Room) and they never have. Street surfaces are awful. Port is all but closed. One way system tinkered with at regular intervals. And finally, there's no public toilet. And the borough council want to call it a city. Pah!:mad:

muffler

il gatto wrote:

Sligo town has no public toilet....................There's no public toilet............................There's no public toilet........................... And finally, there's no public toilet.

Thats an awful lot sh1t talk about Sligo

You could probably get something in the chemist for that

newwifey

Had to use my momentous first post to say YES Sligo is the worst run town in Ireland. They are making JFK Parade and Old Market St one-way shortly and closing O'Connell street to traffic altogether. Did you not know that the toilets in Tesco are the public toilets and its definately a case of dont sit - hover. Sure who needs argos and the likes anyway! As long as our main street is full of chippers who cares.

muffler

Welcome to the North West forum newwifey

We have a couple of threads if you wish to post in (entirely voluntary) - "name check", "photo check-name check with photos" and "where did you get your name from". Make sure you read the rules on the photo check thread.

Enjoy the craic and keep the posts coming

takola

God ye're making me rethink my decision to move back home!!!

il gatto

Old Market Street is going to be one way going south. That means you can hold up all the traffic coming up Teeling Street and block traffic coming down Pearse road. A double whammy of pissing off other drivers. And when they close O'Connell Street to can you imagine the top of John Street at the back of the Cathedral?
Oh, and I forgot the new toilets in Quayside which opened late last year. You have to pay, but at least they're there. Still nothing provided by the borough council. They had a self cleaning super-loo in storage in Dublin. They wasted tens of thousands of euro on it cos they didn't know where to put it.

genie

newwifey wrote:

Had to use my momentous first post to say YES Sligo is the worst run town in Ireland. They are making JFK Parade and Old Market St one-way shortly and closing O'Connell street to traffic altogether. Did you not know that the toilets in Tesco are the public toilets and its definately a case of dont sit - hover. Sure who needs argos and the likes anyway! As long as our main street is full of chippers who cares.

Does Tesco still charge 50c to use the loo? I used to park at Dunnes over at St Anne's, free loo there!

il gatto

Isn't it sad that we need to discuss how to avail of a toilet in Sligo. I hope the borough councillors are reading this they're not I'm sure) and cringing. How pathetic that a town of 25,000 people hasn't got a public piss pot. I'm embarrassed when tourists ask me where it is. Sad thing is, there were toilets in the Market Yard, beside the town hall, beside Gilhooley hall and, apparently at the bottom of Union Street, but I don't remember those. The ones at Gilhooley hall are still there, but they closed them about 3-4 years ago because they didn't seem to want to clean them.

magnumlady

I agree with you, it is the worst run town. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
Still 50 cent to use Tesco loo and its filthy.
30 cent to use Quayside, at least they are clean.
Why won't they let us have Argos and why no out of town supermarket?
To top it all we had no water supply all day yesterday and most of the two days before that.

Fitzo

argos is not allowed to move into the town because of local business men who feel their businesses will be destroyed sso they block it from being allowed in...

Madge

They won't let Aldi set up on the outskirts of town (beside the retail park) as only warehouse goods such as furniture stores can be established outside the town centre. It means Aldi won't come to Sligo at all now.
But did anyone read the Champion last Wednesday? The new Johnston Court shopping Centre sounds pretty good, It will be opening March 2007. A load of new retail and other units will be setting up. It will create 200 full time jobs

b0bsquish

Do any of our beloved northwest towns actually have public loo's anymore? I've memories of ones in buncrana but there long gone. Does letterkenny even have them anymore? (other than that pay dealy outside the courthouse?)

il gatto

Even a pay dealy would do. Any port in a storm etc. Any hear what shops are going into Johnson Court development? Sligo is catching up slowly with other similar sized towns in spite of those charged with running it.

lemon_of_old

Fitzo wrote:

argos is not allowed to move into the town because of local business men who feel their businesses will be destroyed sso they block it from being allowed in...

But....but......what?!! That's ridiculous! So Homebase and the rest are ok, they're not going to steal any of the local businessmens bucks, but Argos is??
I concur wholeheartedly with the opinions raised in this thread - I've been living here for almost a year now, and I still don't know my way around the place. Everything is........somewhere I can't find it. Traffic is a nightmare. Pedestrians suffer from a severe case of playing "dodge the car in rush hour traffic". Trying to maneouvure your way through the carpark in Tescos takes such concentration and hand-eye co-ordination, I have suffered temporary blindness on various occaisions. In saying that.....I've never seen so many chemists in my life.

Tar.Aldarion

lemon_of_old wrote:

But....but......what?!! That's ridiculous! So Homebase and the rest are ok, they're not going to steal any of the local businessmens bucks, but Argos is??

Argos would be selling a lot of things the county council members sell in their shops. So, given the choice of moving to sligo and not being a loowed to sell those goods or not come at all, Argos rightly said **** off.

slavigo

As far as I know, Sligo Corporation or one of those boys, signed some big expensive deal to lease some big fancy self contained public toilet thing a few years ago but couldn't decide where to put it. So it went no where and as far as I know, they were stuck into a contract so they are still paying for it even though it's not being used. For all I know they could even be paying more, cause it has to be stored somewhere.

(Disclaimer: Well I think I remember that story from a few years ago)

slavigo

Here it is
http://www.sligotown.net/index.php/109
http://archives.tcm.ie/sligoweekender/2004/03/23/story17060.asp

magnumlady

lemon_of_old wrote:

But....but......what?!! That's ridiculous! So Homebase and the rest are ok, they're not going to steal any of the local businessmens bucks, but Argos is??
I concur wholeheartedly with the opinions raised in this thread - I've been living here for almost a year now, and I still don't know my way around the place. Everything is........somewhere I can't find it. Traffic is a nightmare. Pedestrians suffer from a severe case of playing "dodge the car in rush hour traffic". Trying to maneouvure your way through the carpark in Tescos takes such concentration and hand-eye co-ordination, I have suffered temporary blindness on various occaisions. In saying that.....I've never seen so many chemists in my life.

We need the chemists because we are all suffering with bladder problems from having to hold it all in when we are in town!:D
I think regarding Argos that the public should have done a petition or boycotted the lads that run the shops that opposed them (if you know who they are).
I see Blackrock has a sign up saying they oppose the chamber of commerce's views.

genie

magnumlady wrote:

I see Blackrock has a sign up saying they oppose the chamber of commerce's views.

Quite a few shops had that sign up because they were afraid of a boycott. Good to see that nothing's changed! :rolleyes:

il gatto

They did indeed buy a fancy, self cleaning SuperLoo. They bought it, for tens of thousands, had it shipped to Dublin, and then couldn't find anywhere to put it. Incredulous? Well believe it. Anyway, they left it in storage in a Dublin corporation yard, and continued to pay an extortionate fee to keep it there for several years. I think in the last year or so they got rid of it.
I also remember a plan to build a toilet in the Wine St. car park. It fell through because it emerged that they didn't own the property they wanted to build on. Just as well really, as the forecasted cost was £250,000. Bearing in mind that £100,000 would have built a rather nice house back then. And that was the expected cost when they thought they owned the site. Yikes!
Of course, around the same time, they sold property behind the Town Hall to a developer which later emerged as actually belonging to the Office of Public Works. To quote a great philosopher "Doh!":rolleyes:

gustavo

Total joke that the Weekender and the Champion always refer to the town as a city when it isnt a city and shouldnt be considered as such

Madge

gustavo wrote:

Total joke that the Weekender and the Champion always refer to the town as a city when it isnt a city and shouldnt be considered as such

Then why do the signs say 'Gateway city' and 'welcome to sligo city' etc

gustavo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_in_Ireland

dont see it here.
They might use it in signs but it doesnt have official city status

il gatto

What kind of a city do the corporation think it is? If I visited a town like Sligo anywhere else, I'd never consider referring to it as a city. Maybe the aldermen on the borough council get payed more if they're in a "City". I'm preety sure it's something like that rather than civic pride. If pride came into it, they'd make property owners paint their buildings above ground floor. Ever look up. It's tatty like the tatty rural backwater it really is. It's a market town which doesn't have a proper market. Farmers market is in I.T. carpark while Market Yard is all parking and appartments. Go figure:)

bettlebrox

il gatto wrote:

. The by-pass goes straight through the middle of town.

What was the rational for that anyway? I admit that the new road is quicker than than it used to be, but not as quick as it ought to be. Wouldn't it have made more sense, and be better for traffic to have it be a proper ring road?

Basq

I'd always heartily stood by the fact that my home town is a shi*hole but plenty of people dislike their home town.

Why do i hate Sligo? Well, i've a bookfull of recents but springing to mind after reading this thread.. the Argos fiasco was a joke.. no public toilet i could live without.. what seems like 45 Chinese restaurants / takeaways in one town is pushing it.. new developments such as the retail park / shopping centre being just utter atrocious for many reasons.. an ever increasing workforce of rude people in most pubs / clubs in the town..

But then again.. most of these complaints could be said for many towns but "worst run town in Ireland"? Don't know if i could say worst run.. has it's fair share of faults and numerous foolish decisions by corporation.. but it is still my hometown.

Maybe i'll miss it after i leave but not likely!

Madge

il gatto wrote:

while Market Yard is all parking and appartments. Go figure:)

The 'market' sets up on a Friday..

basquille wrote:

new developments such as the retail park / shopping centre being just utter atrocious for many reasons

why do you say this? I think the shopping centre is great. Its about time Sligo had one.

Basq

Madge wrote:

why do you say this? I think the shopping centre is great. Its about time Sligo had one.

In terms of shops and such... most women find it fantastic (as a man, it could do with a few more men's shops - GadgetShop, HMV etc wouldn't go amiss among the River Island, Next, Paco, Sisley, Jane Norman, Accessories - need i go on? Anyways, i digress!

Structurally it is an absolute joke and design-wise, well it's horrid!

l3LoWnA

I dreaded moving back here from Galway. moved back 2 weeks ago, after two fabulous weeks abroad....and reality hits now whilst reading this thread.......feel like crying! But is it REALLY that bad?

Have to say, I dreaded moving back for personal reasons mainly, on top of the fact that Galway HAS to be one of the nicest places in Ireland to live in!!

However, I can't BELIEVE the crrrap involved in the whole Argos thing and the fact that those people with their objectins GOT AWAY WITH IT and laughed all the way to the bank the miserly old gits! Just so they don't hav to keep with the times and keep their own "stores" modern and competitive! It sickens me so much! Have to drive to Longford r Castlebar to get to the nearest available Argos now....isn't Sligo a bigger town than BOTH of those, it's ridiculous!!

What other town or city in Ireland would put up with a store like Argos not being allowed set up in the towns only retail park?! Public Loos? I don't know what the big deal is there...If you're in town for THAT long (constitues a trip to the lav) you're probaby going to be grabbing a bite to eat, use the restaurant/cafe/supermarket loos. I don't see the biggie there, For as long as I lived in Galway, I wouldnt set foot in the public toilets. I suppose that's just a personal no no for me though. Hotels/Restaurants etc keep their toilets far cleaner!

Although the Argos thing bothers me, I have no problem with the one-way system so far and think it's a MIGHTY idea to pedestrianise (sp?) O'Connell St. It'll take some getting used to traffic wise but the centre of town can ONLY improve if it's pedestrainised. i think it will be great, think a mini version of shop street in Galway, nice! Anyone ever tried a bit of shopping on a Saturday through O'Connell St. with a buggy?!?! If not, anyone ever get their heels clipped by a buggy or have to slip off the footpath onto the street to let one pass?!? Not the buggy owners fault, those foothpaths are a death-trap! My heart goes out to wheelchair users, not to mentio nthe motorists trying to dodge the pedestrians whilst also trying not to clip a car in the opposite lane - it's a total nightmare!

Anyways, I'm bored, it's late, I'm in, so said I'd add my two cents worth, could have written a whole novel but my cup of tea is goig cold!!!

l3LoWnA

Madge wrote:

why do you say this? I think the shopping centre is great. Its about time Sligo had one.

I have to say, I think the shoppnig centre is.....ok. Don't get me wrong, am delighted to see it here now and to have some of the shops, River Island, Next, TX Maxx etc etc it's fantastic....but WHO designed the place and what was it originaly supposed to be? don't tell me a shopping centre?

It's a very.....em....strange design to say the least, possibly because of the shape of the site but (buggies again) it's incredibly difficult to navigate between floors with a buggy in tow......harrrumfff! (or wheelchair I'd imagine!)

Still, I manage, just about, and won't say the shopping centre was a bad idea, it's mighty! multi-storey is very handy too! Bring on the Jonstons Court centre now and we'll all be happy.

Agree about HMV or similar record store being a necessity now - also, anyone know, is there absolutely no ticketmaster outlet in Sligo anymore and has Star Records closed completely I wonder?

Madge

basquille wrote:

In terms of shops and such... most women find it fantastic (as a man, it could do with a few more men's shops - GadgetShop, HMV etc wouldn't go amiss among the River Island, Next, Paco, Sisley, Jane Norman, Accessories - need i go on? Anyways, i digress!

Structurally it is an absolute joke and design-wise, well it's horrid!

Yeah but river island, next, pull & bear have big mens departments. I think there could definitely be a HMV there, would be great.
What I don't get is why you have to walk through Next to get to the back of the centre, where there's other shops, its a bit stupid..

Madge

l3LoWnA wrote:

It's a very.....em....strange design to say the least, possibly because of the shape of the site but (buggies again) it's incredibly difficult to navigate between floors with a buggy in tow......harrrumfff! (or wheelchair I'd imagine!)

I thought there was a lift you could get between floors?

il gatto

I live a few miles from town. I can't go home to the toilet that easily. I don't like using restaurants or pubs toilets on principal because they shouldn't have to provide toilets for non customers. Like you say, if you're eating anyway it's fine. Having said that, my principals aren't so strong that I'd wet my pants before using one:)
With regards to the Mid-Block Route, it was put there because it was the cheapest way possible. They built all over the eastern end of town and most of the west end. Also they wanted to bridge the river at the narrowest (cheapest) point. That route was looked at by consultants, who said that with traffic flow increasing it would be out dated by the year 2000. Thats right. 3 years before they started building it.
It's not that I hate the town. It's just that these muppets are being paid lots to run it properly.
By the way madge. I like the inverted commas around market. It's a joke, isn't it?

SprostonGreen

O'Connell St should've been pedestrianised years ago, I cant for the live of me understand why anyone would complain about it.

Basq

SprostonGreen wrote:

O'Connell St should've been pedestrianised years ago, I cant for the live of me understand why anyone would complain about it.

Agree completely!!

magnumlady

I'm a gal (hence the name) and I think the shops in the Quayside are dire. Mind you I'm not into fashion.
I's also love a gadget shop, game shop, HMV, decent electrical shop.
But please no more phone shops.

l3LoWnA

Madge wrote:

I thought there was a lift you could get between floors?

There is a lift! Did you ever have to use it on a busy day? I waited for at LEAST half an hour one busy day for the lift and every time it arrived @ the floor I was on it was already full with people (some of whom had no buggy or wheelchair but for some reason, preferred to take a lift than an escalator, entirely their own choice I know) A half an hour can seem a very very long time with a two year old who isn't particularly partial to any more than an hour "shopping" time!

Now, I'm the farthest thing for an impatient person but I thought this could have carried on all evening because there was no sign of the lift ever being free for myself and buggy and child, so I had to bring buggy down the escalator which is extremely dangerous (much easier to go "up" an escalator with a buggy) for mysef, my child and others I'd imagine! No-one who has frequented (or indeed not, but have visitted) the Shopping Centre with a buggy and/or wheelchair could disagree that indeed, it can be difficult, and take time and a lot of patience to get around the whole place. There's also the chance I was just vey unlucky on the day that was in it but it had been my first visit to the place and a LOT of people, when it opened first, seemed to agree the whole place was strangely laid out.

I know it's a petty enough complaint, as I said before, apart from that it's great to have the place!!

il gatto

It's the worst designed shopping centre I've even been in. Even the ilac center in Dublin is better laid out and it's there over twenty years. There's no open space with seating or any attractive design qualities whatsoever. Downstairs is pokey. The ceiling's too low. It's a real disappointment. When you've waited so long for such a facility, to see the oppertunity wasted is a shame. Especially in this day and age when Ireland has caught up with other countries with regards to design. Ireland outside of Sligo that is.:(

JoeyJJ

Right...

The Shopping Centre, the entrance at Quay Street is a joke you have to go through Next to get into the Centre, what a atsolute disaster design wise. The Toilets are mid level and very confusing to get to, there is an escalator there which makes little sense.

The Toilets, If they continue to close the road at Stephen street surely they should throw a public toilet on that street.

Argos: I don't shop in argos and I live in Dublin, usually overpriced especially for electrical items however that is no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to open.

Tesco: afaik they are being refused to open a shop out in Carraroe, this is a disgrace, would lower traffic in the city centre as alot of people drive and park to get there weekly shopping in Tesco.

Driving around Sligo: I don't really use it now in peak times, as I am mostly in Dublin, but surely they could sit down and get a route through town sorted and close O'Connell St. From what I see if you have to go from O'Connell Street to the West of the city accross the bypass its a disaster waiting on lights. Wouldn't like to have to cross that alot daily.

il gatto

First time I was in Quayside, I went across town to pick up something. Came back at five past six and there was security at the door. As I went to walk in, he stopped me and said the center was closed. I explained that I was just going through to the multi story car park as my car was there. He helpfully directed me down a slipway to Union Place. It was pissing rain and me and my girlfriend had to walk down Union Place, round the corner at the Poitin Still and back towards Quay Street to get into the car park. Incidentally, there's no pedestrian acess provided where the cars go in. We got soaked. I wouldn't have minded so much except it was only five past six, I had been shopping there (had the bags to prove it) and when I went to the door, there was loads of people still milling around. Only in Sligo.:mad:

newwifey

Why didnt the security guard direct you to the outside lifts down to the car park instead of sending you around the town for fun? Did the security guard have a baseball cap sitting on the top of his head with a very thin patchy ronnie on his lip? BTW the last time I paid 30 cents to use the loos in the new shopping centre there was no bloody loo roll! Despite the fact that there was a bathroom attendant (female version of the male security guard) standing outside the loos chatting to the money collector

il gatto

I know alot of these things aren't directly the fault of those running the town, but it all adds up. How about the state of the surface on the Strandhill Road. It's like an offroad course. Same on the Dromaheir road past the Brewery. Or Connolly Street. And Old Market Street. Lord Edward Street was on the verge of being unpassable when they fixed it. People say they're working on upgrading services and utilities, but you can't leave a road like that for years. The street in Strandhill was resurfaced recently. It was last done in 1991 I think. I know that's the County Councils responsibility, but don't get me started on them.
And another thing. Has anyone noticed the railway tracks across the road down the docks? Just beside the roundabout. They tore up the tracks that went to the Deepwater, put down new paving and left two pieces of track right across the road. The only place they left them is the only place they needed to take them up.

genie

Out of curiosity, what replaced the ESB shop and Woods' on Castle Street? Something that would brighten the street up a bit, I hope?

Basq

Nothing has replaced ESB as yet... and Woods is now simply a window advertisement EJ's stuff! :rolleyes:

genie

basquille wrote:

Nothing has replaced ESB as yet... and Woods is now simply a window advertisement EJ's stuff! :rolleyes:

:eek: :rolleyes:

drive3331

Wasnt Wood's and the yeard behind to be developed into appartments?
Im waiting for someone to knock the old abbey and develope their too:D

genie

Well isn't one of Sligo's castles under the car park opposite the Abbey? :rolleyes:

il gatto

Castle? Sligo doesn't need castles. It's a progressive, forward thinking "city". That means building cramped appartments with no parking, banning multi-national retail outlets wherever possible and not providing services classed as essential in every other town in the world. And especially not having public toilets. I think thats what it means. Who needs history, culture and tourist attractions? Sligo's getting by just fine.:D

muffler

I think Sligo is being shown in a bad light in these posts. Every town has its problems but there are always good points that can be mentioned.

Why doesn't someone start a seperate thread to balance the argument and post all the positive things about Sligo

il gatto

I've no particular axe to grind. It's just that the people running the town make one glaringly obviously bad decision after another. Any real improvements to the town are made by the government and private developers. And the thing that really winds people up is the arrogance of the borough council to claim that it's a city, as if it was somehow better than Castlebar or Letterkenny or Athlone. Sligo mightn't be that bad because of it's location or it's size, but in terms of management, it's pretty attrocious.
I'm not saying other towns don't have their problems, but I have more expirience of Sligo. That, and people from other towns don't seem to have as many complaints as nearly everyone I know in Sligo. Maybe they're all whingers:)
However, I will endeavor to find some positives.

bettlebrox

muffler wrote:

I think Sligo is being shown in a bad light in these posts. Every town has its problems but there are always good points that can be mentioned.

Why doesn't someone start a seperate thread to balance the argument and post all the positive things about Sligo

Yeah, the first one is that it's close to Donegal.