Latest news with #TheJournalTheJournal
The Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Dublin City Council to spend almost €6m on four new public toilets - here's where they're going
AFTER YEARS OF holding it in, Dublin City Council is set to invest nearly €6 million in the installation of four new public toilets in the city centre. The move follows a U-turn on plans to close the last remaining public facility at St Stephen's Green , where temporary toilets near the top of Grafton Street had been earmarked for removal due to falling demand. However, this plan was abandoned following opposition from both Councillors and the public . Dublin City Council has now revealed plans for four new public toilets in the city. The five-year investment plan comes amid continued demand for accessible facilities in high-footfall areas across the city. The new toilets will be somehwat-evenly spread across the city – two will be located on the north side, and two on the south. One of the north side toilets will be located in the area around O'Connell Street and Prince's Street North, while the other will be installed in Smithfield Square. In the south, the new toilets will be installed on South King Street and Barnardo Square. Advertisement The locations of the proposed new public toilets. The Journal The Journal Installation of the new toilets is targeted for mid-2026, subject to planning and procurement processes. According to the new council report, Dublin once had over 60 public toilets, but by the late 1990s, all on-street facilities had closed due to a combination of vandalism, criminal activity, and hygiene concerns. Temporary toilets were reintroduced during the Covid-19 pandemic at the facility beside St Stephen's Green – initially intended as a short-term solution—now the only one still in operation. Despite usage at the St Stephen's Green unit dropping from 17,000 visits per week in 2020 to 1,800 in 2022, the Council says there remains a need for safe, secure, and clean public amenities. However, efforts to partner with private retailers on shared-use toilets have failed, with no interest from the commercial sector. The new facilities will include attended multi-cubicle units, with a proposed 50 cent usage fee to offset service costs. Despite this, Council officials acknowledge the project will operate at a loss and require significant public funding. A kiosk or tourism-related retail element may be included at certain locations. There are currently 92 public toilets available across Dublin, including those in libraries, parks, museums, and shopping centres – 26 of which are located in the central commercial district. The new units will bring that total to 30. The Council's report also emphasised that public toilets often deter users due to safety and hygiene concerns and notes that unless the new facilities provide a secure, family-friendly experience, uptake may remain limited. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
'Likely Scam': New registry to help identify scam text messages launches
A NEW INITIATIVE to help identify scam text messages has been launched today by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). A registry has been established for organisations who send text messages to their customers, such as banks, delivery services, insurance providers, to register their sender IDs. Application-to-Person messages often contain a Sender ID to indicate where the text message originated (for example, eFlow). Many scam messages will also have a Sender ID that imitates a legitimate service to attempt to appear trustworthy to the recipient. A scam text purporting to be from eFlow. The Journal The Journal The registry launched today would mean that SMS providers can check the Sender ID against the registered Sender ID to identify scam. Messages that do not match will arrive in a consumer's inbox labelled 'Likely Scam' from 3 July to alert the consumer that it may not be legitimate. From 3 October, SMS messages from unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked. Advertisement ComReg is asking all organisations using SMS Sender IDs in their SMS communications with customers, clients and service users to register their Sender ID now. Over 7,000 SMS Sender IDs have already been pre-registered by SMS providers managing A2P SMS traffic on behalf of organisations. A scam text. The Journal The Journal 'If an SMS Sender ID has not been pre-registered, it is crucial that it is registered now,' a statement from ComReg said. 'Organisations may register their own SMS Sender ID or their SMS provider may register the SMS Sender ID on their behalf. 'SMS Sender ID registrations will be on a first come, first served basis. Organisations can register SMS Sender IDs and check if their SMS Sender ID has been pre-registered.' ComReg's chairperson Garrett Blaney said that the registry is just one of several interventions introduced by the commission to mitigate scam calls and texts. 'Europe Economics estimate the annual level of harm to Irish consumers and businesses from scam calls and texts at over €300 million, of which approximately €115 million is attributed to scam texts,' he said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
