Lack of public toilets in Covid-19 era

maxsmum

Does anyone know anywhere in town (Dublin) with a toilet that's open these days? I need to bring my son in and I just read that even if BT/Arnotts open via preregistering, toilets will be closed. I was in Insomnia the other day, toilets closed. Surely there must be ones open somewhere?
Also aren't we meant to be washing our hands?!

Beasty

Problem I can see is they may feel they would need to clean them after every use. Most shops have sanitising gel stations to facilitate hand-cleaning

I have seen them open at motorway, that that may well be a contractual obligation

The_Brood

Beasty wrote: »

Problem I can see is they may feel they would need to clean them after every use. Most shops have sanitising gel stations to facilitate hand-cleaning

I have seen them open at motorway, that that may well be a contractual obligation

The alternative is people pissing in their pants or down the street?

punisher5112

Dublin city has not one public toilet.....

How people can go about there without is beyond me but I know what they use as any street I have to walk on is covered in human filth.....


It's shocking but then they would be destroyed either way ..

Ms.Sunshine

It’s the same in Galway .
My husband has a disability and got caught when we were out for a walk and had to urinate privately somewhere . An absolute disaster and totally unfair to put people in such situations.

If hygiene is the issue with businesses and the use of their toilets , they are all going to have to hire a cleaner to b outside the bathrooms and clean the toilets after each use . Nobody could object to that

Gael23

RTE have picked up on this form the perspective of people with Bowel disease that cannot wait to use a toilet. Personally speaking if I get a bad attach of my IBD I have about a minute to find a toilet

hmmm

Ms.Sunshine wrote: »

If hygiene is the issue with businesses and the use of their toilets , they are all going to have to hire a cleaner to b outside the bathrooms and clean the toilets after each use . Nobody could object to that

It's not realistic for businesses to have full-time cleaners on staff to clean bathrooms after the general public have used them. Most retail businesses are closed, and the few businesses that are open are barely surviving as it is.

We have a lot of new problems because of Covid, there are many people who are suffering for various reasons until we figure out how we cope.

jrmb

There was already a lack of public bathrooms in Dublin city long before Covid

Kermit.de.frog

Were we overburdened with public toilets before COVID OP?

Away With The Fairies

I think I became a germaphobe with all this. People want to use public toilets in all this? If people don't wash their hands properly, couldn't the hand dryers blow aerosols all over the place?

Gael23

It’s a basic need whatever the risk involved

hopeso

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I think I became a germaphobe with all this. People want to use public toilets in all this? If people don't wash their hands properly, couldn't the hand dryers blow aerosols all over the place?

Couldn't agree more. I don't think I'd go into a public toilet for anything at the moment.....

I was briefly in the botanic gardens the other day. Toilets were closed off. The Range in Liffey valley have customer toilets that are also closed. Phoenix Park have no public toilets that I am aware of with the cafes closed.

So yeah, it seems toilets are a big crisis.

Pretty important for anyone with bowel issues, pregnant women, parents with babies.

I was briefly in the botanic gardens the other day. Toilets were closed off. The Range in Liffey valley have customer toilets that are also closed. Phoenix Park have no public toilets that I am aware of with the cafes closed.

So yeah, it seems toilets are a big crisis.

Pretty important for anyone with bowel issues, pregnant women, parents with babies.

mvt

there are public toilets which are self cleaning,they basically are self contained & after each use are sealed & then blasted with hot water.

IIRC they were going to be supplied free of charge in Dublin in exchange for advertising space but DCC shot it down.

Something needs to be done fairly quickly to sort this out as it is a serious public health issue.

ArmaniJeanss

maxsmum wrote: »

Does anyone know anywhere in town (Dublin) with a toilet that's open these days? I need to bring my son in and I just read that even if BT/Arnotts open via preregistering, toilets will be closed. I was in Insomnia the other day, toilets closed. Surely there must be ones open somewhere?
Also aren't we meant to be washing our hands?!

Connolly Station toilets probably still open. Maybe Busaras as well.

two wheels good

Good point. Local public toilets near me closed for weeks.
With the availability of hand sanitiser these days and more hygiene awareness couldn't they be reopened. And anyway, who's going to use the taps- unless they're contactless?

appledrop

Its same everywhere its ridiculous really. I have a 3 year old + if he needs to go when in park he needs to go!



Cant continue on the way it is.

stephenjmcd

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I think I became a germaphobe with all this. People want to use public toilets in all this? If people don't wash their hands properly, couldn't the hand dryers blow aerosols all over the place?

What's the alternative ?? Everyone to start going in the bushes or in the case of dublin city just piss into the liffey ??

two wheels good

Turn off the driers?

GT89

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I think I became a germaphobe with all this. People want to use public toilets in all this? If people don't wash their hands properly, couldn't the hand dryers blow aerosols all over the place?

I think peoples immediate need to relieve oneself far outweighs their fears of getting a virus which has largely been eradicted at this point

marilynrr

Beasty wrote: »

I have seen them open at motorway, that that may well be a contractual obligation

I saw a video from a truck driver at the start of lockdown. He was saying that some of the toilets were closed, and that those service stations needed to remember that truck drivers are the supply chain keeping the essential items on the shelves!
He also said he had used a toilet that hadn't been cleaned in a week, and he said he knew it had been a week because he'd seen the same piece of rubbish on the floor in there the week before!

Away With The Fairies

stephenjmcd wrote: »

What's the alternative ?? Everyone to start going in the bushes or in the case of dublin city just piss into the liffey ??

Stay at home

JustAThought

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Stay at home

if you are only travelling 2k or 5k from your house then it shouldn’t be a problem.What are you taking your son into town for anyway? There is still an incurable plague out there.

Del2005

Ms.Sunshine wrote: »

If hygiene is the issue with businesses and the use of their toilets , they are all going to have to hire a cleaner to b outside the bathrooms and clean the toilets after each use . Nobody could object to that

So a business has to pay €100+ a day for someone to clean their toilets after people use them, are you willing to pay to use toilets? Because no business can afford to have someone employed full time just to clean the toilets.

Also even if they were open they need to be sanitized after every use so most likely won't be available when the person needs to use it.

mvt wrote: »

there are public toilets which are self cleaning,they basically are self contained & after each use are sealed & then blasted with hot water.

IIRC they were going to be supplied free of charge in Dublin in exchange for advertising space but DCC shot it down.

Something needs to be done fairly quickly to sort this out as it is a serious public health issue.

We had them toilets before in Dublin and got rid of them. I know someone who was trapped in one for several hours, not the ones in Dublin.

Gael23

Peopl with certain medical conditions might need to use a toilet urgently and from next week older people will be out and about more

maxsmum

JustAThought wrote: »

if you are only travelling 2k or 5k from your house then it shouldn’t be a problem.What are you taking your son into town for anyway? There is still an incurable plague out there.

That's b&^*(ks and you know it. A 5 year old can be 500m down the road and need to go. And when I was pregnant I wasn't much different. You used to have 5 or 6 places around Grafton or henry St to use a loo (none of them public facilities mind). Now there's nothing.
And I live a couple of km from town, none of your business what it's for.

punisher5112

Where do the council actually think people are doing before the pandemic and now....

Many don't even bother going down lanes anymore and will piss anywhere.

Take the many parks and boardwalk etc these people are in many cases drinking and spend hours on end there.....

The streets are filthy and absolutely stink.

jackboard

I agree fully that this is a council problem but obviously a minority have ruined it for the majority.

Asked the brother who works in a city centre shopping centre and their toilets are closed. He said he gets abuse off at least 5 people a day on why they aren’t open. None of these people have bags from the stores that are open either. Some of those people then direct their anger at shop staff when they refuse access to their staff toilets.

I get some people have medical issues or are pregnant but unfortunately these issues need to be planned for under current circumstances, and as someone else said, they shouldn’t be further than 5km from their house. With the exception of phone shops, anyone who is in the city centre doing shopping absolutely has closer supermarkets/chemists to them than in the smack bang centre.

I need access to hand sanitiser for a medical issue and have been paying through the roof for it but I haven’t complained to anyone about it, it just the way it is at the moment.

whoopsadaisy

Why is "you shouldn't be more than 5km away from your home" being used as an excuse here?

It takes about 45-50 minutes to walk 5km. You can be well within your radius but if you need to go, you need to go!! I think we've all felt the "urgency" of such at some point

stephenjmcd

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Stay at home

Again I'll ask the question, if I'm out for my own reasons and need the toilet, your logic is you should have stayed at home. I'm sure you've been out before and needed to use the toilet.

Let's stay at home and live like hermits. If anyone goes out and needs the toilet throw them to the wolves they shouldn't have been out anyway. If you need to go you need to go, 20k, 5k or 2k from home

Away With The Fairies

stephenjmcd wrote: »

Again I'll ask the question, if I'm out for my own reasons and need the toilet, your logic is you should have stayed at home. I'm sure you've been out before and needed to use the toilet.

Let's stay at home and live like hermits. If anyone goes out and needs the toilet throw them to the wolves they shouldn't have been out anyway. If you need to go you need to go, 20k, 5k or 2k from home

The advice is still to stay at home. Just because things are opening up, doesn't mean you have to go out. Pubs and restaurants being closed, guess what toilets are also closed. If people need to go out and can't think about where to go to the toilet if they need to, it's best they stay at home.

Gael23

Fundamentally this is a public health issue as people will take to relieving themselves in inappropriate areas.
For me it leaves me more trapped at home than before because I can’t risk it: I have a card that states I have a medical issue that require ax urgent use of facilities but it looks like that won’t help

stephenjmcd

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

The advice is still to stay at home. Just because things are opening up, doesn't mean you have to go out. Pubs and restaurants being closed, guess what toilets are also closed. If people need to go out and can't think about where to go to the toilet if they need to, it's best they stay at home.

Ok grand you stay at home. Seems to be quite a common theme in the posts, god help anyone who's badly in need of the toilets, they can just piss themselves because they should have stayed at home...

It's a public health issue at the end of the day

newuser99999

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

The advice is still to stay at home. Just because things are opening up, doesn't mean you have to go out. Pubs and restaurants being closed, guess what toilets are also closed. If people need to go out and can't think about where to go to the toilet if they need to, it's best they stay at home.

Username is very apt.

punisher5112

Gael23 wrote: »

Fundamentally this is a public health issue as people will take to relieving themselves in inappropriate areas.
For me it leaves me more trapped at home than before because I can’t risk it: I have a card that states I have a medical issue that require ax urgent use of facilities but it looks like that won’t help

I'd stay well clear of anywhere at the moment till it all calms down....

Sure in work see some still aren't bothered about washing hands....

Use toilet turn on tap splash on a few fingers and walk off....

Now I'm glad of getting into the habit of cleaning before I get into the cab and will be doing this from now on, it's actually shocking how much filth is still coming off onto the wipes and these are meant to be properly cleaned.....

At work we have no facility unless we can make it to the garage and it's happened many times over the years that I wouldn't make it and would have to use a cup or bottle or a hedge somewhere.....


Shocking in 2020 there is nothing.

GT89

punisher5112 wrote: »

I'd stay well clear of anywhere at the moment till it all calms down....

Sure in work see some still aren't bothered about washing hands....

Use toilet turn on tap splash on a few fingers and walk off....

Now I'm glad of getting into the habit of cleaning before I get into the cab and will be doing this from now on, it's actually shocking how much filth is still coming off onto the wipes and these are meant to be properly cleaned.....

At work we have no facility unless we can make it to the garage and it's happened many times over the years that I wouldn't make it and would have to use a cup or bottle or a hedge somewhere.....


Shocking in 2020 there is nothing.

The lack of toilet facilities for bus drivers is a disgrace. How hard would it be to put a toilet for drivers at termini where they aren't in place already. Even a few portaloos would surfice as a temporary measure until they got around to putting in permanant toilets.

Is there really a practical solution to the problem? I mean if you find yourself caught short you generally need to be in very close proximity to a toilet, pre-covid or not.

If you're in Merrion Square, a few toilets in BT or wherever aren't going to be much use.

I guess DCC could provide some Portaloos dotted about the city centre. Having said that they'd probably be pretty rank after a couple of hours.

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Is there really a practical solution to the problem? I mean if you find yourself caught short you generally need to be in very close proximity to a toilet, pre-covid or not.

If you're in Merrion Square, a few toilets in BT or wherever aren't going to be much use.

I guess DCC could provide some Portaloos dotted about the city centre. Having said that they'd probably be pretty rank after a couple of hours.

This is where those that can't go out actually could plan better knowing there is one available....


Shocking that the main city as Dublin is the streets are the toilet.....

Boardwalk is also used regularly....

There were public toilets all around the city, even recall them when I was much younger.
They knocked them all or filled them in.

There was one in ballsbridge too and was put up for sale but since has been demolished and nothing in its place. Think it had 1904 or close to that on build date.

Hamsterchops

maxsmum wrote: »

Does anyone know anywhere in town (Dublin) with a toilet that's open these days? I need to bring my son in and I just read that even if BT/Arnotts open via preregistering, toilets will be closed. I was in Insomnia the other day, toilets closed. Surely there must be ones open somewhere?
Also aren't we meant to be washing our hands?!

When I was growing up there were public toilets everywhere, even in the centre of O'Connell Street (down some stairs under the central reservation).
Unfortunately I also remember a lot of public toilets being very smelly with a strong smell of urine, they also had that shi1t greaseproof paper which made an awful mess

They all seemed to close down and get bricked up in the 1980s, Antisocial "carry-on" was a problem.

tromtipp

Those rather expensive French ones that automatically steam-clean themselves between users will come into their own now. There used to be one in Nenagh - not sure is it still there - it cost the council a fortune, but it would seem money well spent now.

maestroamado

punisher5112 wrote: »

This is where those that can't go out actually could plan better knowing there is one available....


Shocking that the main city as Dublin is the streets are the toilet.....

Boardwalk is also used regularly....

There were public toilets all around the city, even recall them when I was much younger.
They knocked them all or filled them in.

There was one in ballsbridge too and was put up for sale but since has been demolished and nothing in its place. Think it had 1904 or close to that on build date.

if it built in 1904 it be built by Brits, we decide to knock them down.
I remember when public toilets were pretty common.
Why were they torn down?

whisky_galore

maestroamado wrote: »

if it built in 1904 it be built by Brits, we decide to knock them down.
I remember when public toilets were pretty common.
Why were they torn down?

Cost. Potential for scumbag behaviour around them.
Probably afraid of claims too.

You couldn't have an unattended toilet in most urban areas here, two legged animals would kick the living sh1t out of it in jig time.

Gael23

Well councils need to do something urgently to prevent a different kind of public health emergency.

rahmalec

This is a huge pain in the hole.

My wife is heavily pregnant. We live well within walking distance to town but can’t go anywhere without the car, or for more than an hour or so because of needing an emergency toilet.

punisher5112

maestroamado wrote: »

if it built in 1904 it be built by Brits, we decide to knock them down.
I remember when public toilets were pretty common.
Why were they torn down?

Amazing that when you think about they actually did some good, it could have been 1914 or 1904 but was definitely around them times, honestly wouldn't have expected to see it knocked....


Scum bags need to be shown they can't carry on in our society as they are, if they want to destroy things then pay or be put to work at fixing.





Many public toilets at train stations shut due to this also but then it just creates another issue where they will piss and sh1t anywhere.

I bring likes of Dettol wipes everywhere now and even using toilet in work I'll wipe anything that I'll be in contact with and you want to see the filth that it picks up especially off the toilet roll holder, these should be getting thoroughly cleaned but obviously aren't.

What are we paying so many taxes for and the businesses paying such huge rates.

I can't see why some proper public toilets can't be dotted around the city and have a better Garda presence all the time as it's going back to hardly seeing any of any at all, litter warden or hell get attendant and have a crew going around looking after the maintenance and so on...

punisher5112

whisky_galore wrote: »

Cost. Potential for scumbag behaviour around them.
Probably afraid of claims too.

You couldn't have an unattended toilet in most urban areas here, two legged animals would kick the living sh1t out of it in jig time.

Nothing wrong with fitting USA style prison ones, all metal, bolted down and can't be moved unless blown up.

Gael23

rahmalec wrote: »

This is a huge pain in the hole.

My wife is heavily pregnant. We live well within walking distance to town but can’t go anywhere without the car, or for more than an hour or so because of needing an emergency toilet.

I have inflammatory bowel disease so now I can’t go out for 30 minutes after I eat. Will also mean I can’t eat breakfast until I get into work when I go back

JP Liz V1

I have seen a few public toilets now opened back up this week

punisher5112

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I have seen a few public toilets now opened back up this week

Where?

whisky_galore

punisher5112 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with fitting USA style prison ones, all metal, bolted down and can't be moved unless blown up.

Still needs to be maintained and perhaps an attendant.