Sir, – I regret that Joe Corr (August 1st) experienced difficulties in regard to a pay and display machine in what I hope was otherwise an enjoyable recent visit to the East Pier in Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
Parking in the harbour area is operated by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, and not the local authority.
All our machines take coins. Some take coins and (credit and debit) cards. If a machine becomes full of coins, or the coin mechanism breaks, then the option still remains to pay by card. All machines are linked to the internet and faults are reported to us immediately. I have checked the fault log and no machines reported any fault on the day Mr Corr and his family visited. We have such a proliferation of machines, particularly near the East Pier, that you would always be within 50 metres of two machines.
Dún Laoghaire Harbour is a wonderful public amenity with the East and West Piers already attracting an annual footfall of close to two million.
I hope that Mr Corr and his family, and others, will continue to visit Dún Laoghaire Harbour and enjoy the facilities and the sights – not least the visit next Wednesday (August 7th) of the Cunard Line's newest cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth. – Yours, etc,
TIM RYAN,
Operations Manager,
Dún Laoghaire Harbour
Company,
Harbour Lodge,
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.