Cliff queues to spend a penny

CLARE County Council director of service Ger Dollard has identified the concurrent arrival of buses at the Cliffs of Moher as a key contributor to subsequent long queues outside toilets. More than one million people visit the cliffs annually but many appear to arrive in urgent need of locating an empty toilet.

At a West Clare Municipal District meeting, Councillor Gabriel Keating said that interminable toilet queues are “causing inconvenience” for visitors.

In reply, Mr Dollard said that queues can sometimes reach 100 deep and suggested that all buses should have on-board facilities in an effort to offset the need to immediately rush to the toilet, upon disembarking at the Cliffs of Moher.

“The arrival of two buses simultaneously could result in over 100 people wishing to use the toilet facility,” he calculated.

“In such a scenario, it is not possible to provide a level of toilet facilities that would eliminate entirely queues for the use of these facilities. It is also necessary that coach operators would accept the capacity constraints that by necessity arise at the site and look towards installing on-board toilet facilities for use by passengers,” Mr Dollard maintained.

He also pointed out that in 2015, temporary toilet facilities were installed to supplement existing toilets, while some male toilets have been converted for female use.

“The council will continue to monitor the overall situation and implement measures to alleviate the circumstances that arise,” Mr Dollard assured the meeting in a written reply.

By Peter O’Connell