Sligo. Worst run town in Ireland?

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.

dingding

The sharp turns on the cycle lane at the speed limit sign at the ford garage on the donegal road

il gatto

Traffic systems have never been a Sligo speciality. I think it was the last county in Ireland to have a roundabout. The county manager of the early nineties thought they were a bad idea. The first one was the one on Ash Lane. That explains why the junctions on the Donegal side of the bridge is such a complete mess.:(

dramaqueen1979

I only can say.....I LOVE SLIGO...and there are enough toilets to be used !