Madam, - On a recent visit to Ireland I had the opportunity of travelling on two of your fine motorways but unfortunately neither of these appear to have had any service stations or lay-bys where one could take a comfort break.
One of my journeys was from Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare to Dublin when apart from passing around Ennis and Limerick, where there were petrol stations, I can honestly say there were no toilets. And why should one have to rely on petrol stations these if one is not purchasing fuel?
To relieve my wife's distress we eventually approached a roadside tavern where we found we had to become customers to use the toilets. The coffee we ordered did not really help during the onward journey! Further along, approaching the M7 motorway one was given several kilometres' notice of its imminence. Fortunately I was able to pull on to some rough ground and take a break before reaching the M7.
While holidaying in Co Clare I noticed public toilets were nearly always closed. There may be a need for this as they may be put to wrong use by drug addicts. Would it not be possible to install ultra-violet lighting to prevent this misuse?
I appreciate that Irish motorways are still very much in the development stage, but I hope that through your media somebody can address the two issues I raise - namely the absence of toilets on main roads and suitable rest places for all drivers. In the interests of all and the promotion of road safety perhaps the slogan we see on UK motorways, "Take a break, tiredness can kill" might help.
Despite these experiences my wife and I look forward to our next visit to Ireland. - Yours, etc,
EDWARD KIDD, Hinckley, Leicestershire, England.