Ringing in phone box revamp
Existing phone boxes in the city are to be replaced with new phone kiosks, while others are to be removed, according to proposals set out by Cork City Council.
Fearghal Reidy, Director of Services, Strategic and Economic Development told councillors at Monday night's council meeting that the local authority will be engaging with Eir over the next number of months and asking them to remove all phone boxes in all areas across the city, replacing them where possible with newer ones.
There are currently 15 phone boxes in the city centre and five more located in Ballincollig, Douglas, St Luke’s Cross, and at Cathedral Road/Shandon Street.
According to a report by the city council, many of the existing phone boxes are in poor visual condition or not functioning.
Eir has proposed to replace nine phone boxes and to remove the others. They also recommend that the replacement phone kiosks would incorporate a 1.7m LED advertising panel.
“We will be clear on our expectations of usage, and reporting on usage, which would be part of a two year review,“ said Mr Reidy.
“The intent is to remove, then install and then review and keep according to evidence of usage every two years,” he added.
Speaking about the proposals for the phone boxes, Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said: “There's now a generation of people for whom public telephone boxes is something from a different era.
“In reality, they now mainly create street clutter and attract vandalism,” he said.
Cllr Moran proposed various alternative uses for the replacement kiosks, emphasising the importance of incorporating more practical functions. "The new boxes may still be public telephones.
“The city recognises that there is still a need for that as an emergency for people.
“They could also be used to house defibrillators and some people have suggested they could be used as electric car charging points.
“Whatever it is, the outcome is that disused boxes will be removed and replaced with something more useful on the basis of a two-year license,” he said.
Speaking at the meeting, other councillors echoed Mr Moran’s comments.
Sinn Féin’s Mick Nugent said that phone boxes had been vandalised in Oliver Plunkett St, but suggested the possibility of keeping some boxes in the city centre which could be used as tourist pods or defibrillators.
Fine Gael Cllr Deirdre Forde commented that the phone boxes had gone to “wrack and ruin” and said that “people had to put up with them being used as toilets for many years”.
She also requested that in the event of the phone boxes remaining in Douglas, consultation should be extended to the Tidy Towns committee and the Douglas Business Association regarding their potential use going forward.