Royal flush coming to downtown city streets

Street furniture pact with the city calls for new loos

VANCOUVER - Downtown streets will have a new feature before the end of the year: automated public toilets.

When an occupant leaves the unit, a door sensor will automatically make the toilet seat retract and it will be cleaned. And every hour, a cleaning spray will sanitize each stall.

Eight of the new toilets will be installed, mainly in the downtown area, at no charge to the city.

The toilets are being provided through the city's street furniture contract with U.S. firm CBS/JCDecaux, which also provides bus stop shelters, garbage cans, benches and bike racks.

"We're just finalizing locations," Tom Hammel, Vancouver streets administration engineer, said Tuesday. "Most of them will be downtown."

One proposed location is at the busy intersection of Commercial and Broadway, a transit hub for buses and the SkyTrain line.

Another is proposed for Pigeon Park at Carrall and Hastings, which will be redesigned as part of the Greenway project on Carrall to connect Water Street in the Gastown district with Pacific Boulevard and False Creek.

"The [others] we haven't finalized yet," Hammel said.

The units will each cost about $250,000 to $300,000, he said. They will be paid for by the revenue generated by advertising panels at transit shelters as part of the street furniture contract.

He said the current two public toilets at Main and Hastings and Victory Square will remain where they are.

Similar toilets are already in operation in San Francisco, Hammel said.

The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association has been calling on the city for years to address the problem of the lack of public toilets.

Downtown businesses have been concerned about the growing health problem of human waste in back alleys because of a lack of toilets for the homeless and for patrons of the entertainment district along Granville Street.

There has been concern raised about the new public toilets being used for prostitution and intravenous drug users.

However, Hammel said the automated toilets will have a time limit of 10 to 15 minutes.

If a person stays longer, a communications device in the unit will warn that the door is going to open and someone will be checking the facility, he said.

source (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/voices/story.html?id=83128893-f18d-4db4-ad7d-47d4364209ef)

It's about time they are finally installing them, I've heard about this for ages now.

They could look like these from JC Decaux-
http://i2.tinypic.com/206iukm.jpg
http://i1.tinypic.com/206iv5e.jpg

coool!!!! and if somebody tries to vandalize it, it should self-destruct.

coool!!!! and if somebody tries to vandalize it, it should self-destruct.
No, a big red boxing glove on a spring should pop out and clock that guy in the head.

I'm for a device that sprays tar, then dumps feathers. Or perhaps a trap door that sends them into the bowels of the beast.

haha

they look cool - i wonder how long the one in pigeon park will last

imagine tripping out on heroin and than going to use one of those - lol

hmmm looks familiar http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Suicide_Booth.JPG

whats really funny, is i was just in Vancouver last week with my girlfriend and a few other friends. and sometime around one in the morning (after a few beers on Robson) my GF needed to use the loo...however, there was nothing open, and she ended up having to....


welll anyways, this is a kick ass idea. it'll cut down on public uriniation 1000%. as long as they can keep the homeless out of living in them lol.

Who needs those when you can just nip into the Fairmont Hotel. lol

I wonder how much they'll charge. The ones I've seen in London are 20p (about 40¢) I believe.

I could see them charging 50c.

oh well they are doomed for failure if they charge

knwoing Vancouver they will start a public washrooms user union the same way they started a bus riders union

if they charge at all, charge everyone one cent. a measley penny. we gotta find a way to get rid of those insignificant coins anyways. throwing them at the women in the downtown eastside just isn't as fun as it used to be :ohno:

but first of all, can they keep them clean so people would even use them???

its usually those homeless that screws things up~ if its all filfy and stuff, dont think anyone will use it, and as mentioned above, what if it provided shelted for the homeless instead?

but first of all, can they keep them clean so people would even use them???

its usually those homeless that screws things up~ if its all filfy and stuff, dont think anyone will use it, and as mentioned above, what if it provided shelted for the homeless instead?

read the article. it says that the washroom cleans itself, and if there's somebody in there longer for 10-15 minutes the doors will automatically open and a communications device will get somebody to check up on it.

but first of all, can they keep them clean so people would even use them???

its usually those homeless that screws things up~ if its all filfy and stuff, dont think anyone will use it, and as mentioned above, what if it provided shelted for the homeless instead?

ummm...did you even read the article?



There was a big story in Saturday's Globe about our new public loos as well as TO's planned ones. They will be free due to a required BC law. Anyway here is the article-

A brave loo world: high-tech toilets

Doors to new self-cleaning washrooms for Vancouver and Toronto will spring open after 10 minutes, writes TENILLE BONOGUORE

TENILLE BONOGUORE
Saturday, August 19, 2006

Forget automatic hand dryers and sensor flushing: The latest scoop on poop is all about rotating toilets that clean themselves, send alerts when the paper runs out and cost as much as a downtown condo.

Already a common sight in Paris, New York and London, a batch of self-cleaning, electronically monitored, fully automatic toilets are now on their way to downtown Vancouver, and Toronto is next in the lineup.

The so-called automatic public toilets, or APTs, not only flush automatically but also are fully disinfected and blown dry after each use. Each standalone unit houses one toilet, with a self-locking door and a timer that lets you know when the allotted time (usually 10 to 15 minutes) is about to end.

And if you're not done when the time expires? Start waving to passersby, because the door will spring open anyway.

Taxpayers won't have to pick up the bill for the units, which can cost up to $300,000 each. Companies bid for the chance to install and maintain them as part of a city's "street furniture" contract, putting the toilets in the same realm as bus shelters, newspaper boxes and bicycle stands. The company can then use the ATP's exterior for billboard advertising to recoup its cost, and even turn a tidy profit.

It's an idea that has Shelley Carroll, chair of Toronto City Council's works committee, flush with excitement. Ms. Carroll heard about the units from fellow councillors who were won over by the idea while in Europe and came home singing their praise, like lavatory evangelists.

When she spotted one outside her own Rome hotel not long ago, Ms. Carroll said her only disappointment was the fact she didn't need to use it. She did take a peek inside, though, and liked what she saw.

"I think it's going to be one of the most interesting things," Ms. Carroll said in an interview. Most city residents know where to find a decent washroom, she said, but for newcomers and tourists it could be a tough task, especially with the rise in patrons-only washrooms in stores and restaurants.

To keep up with demand, she said the city needs to streamline the public washroom system, and that's where the automatic option comes in.

Vancouver will have eight units installed in the downtown area by November, just in time for World Toilet Day, designated as Nov. 19 by the World Toilet Organization. Toronto will call for tenders for the units next month, and they should start appearing on downtown streets in 2008.

While the units are often coin operated, B.C. law requires the facilities to be free, and Toronto is considering making the same request of the company that wins the contract.

Another feature that is determined with the supplier is the maximum amount of time that will be allotted to each user. City of Vancouver engineer Grant Woff said his city will probably settle on a 10-minute period. "I think you need to balance that, to give sufficient time for somebody to do what they have to do, but if people are kept [waiting] too long they can get angry," he said in an interview.

Toronto Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker hopes there will eventually be APTs all over the city.

"These are the greatest things since sliced bread. I think they'll be a lot of fun," he said. "People will love them."

One British regional council, however, found that automatic doesn't always mean better. Reigate and Banstead Borough Council closed its APTs because the $29,500 annual running costs and infrequent usage meant that the cost per use was averaging $15.

Richard Chisnell, of the British Toilet Association, said washroom standards have been slipping around the world as cities cut costs by closing public facilities. Even in Britain, which gave the world public toilets in the Victorian era, about half the public facilities have been closed in the past decade.

"This is a very big issue," Mr. Chisnell said. "We've now realized we've let our standards slip too low." Auto-toilets help address this issue, he said, noting that the standalone units also help deter vandalism and prevent vagrants from sleeping inside the units.

Meanwhile, Beijing is pouring 400 million yuan ($55.8-million) into its toilet network in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. But instead of hitting the high-tech button, the Chinese capital aims for a more personal touch: Each of its toilets will be staffed by attendants who speak basic English.

From the lavatory laboratory . . .

Here's how automatic public toilets work, according to manufacturer Clear Channel Adshel:

As you walk in, a recorded voice issues a "friendly greeting" and warns that the doors are closing. Written instructions are posted, also in Braille.

The door locks automatically, but can be opened from the inside at any time. An automatic timer kicks in when the door closes, with average maximum time for use set at 15 to 20 minutes. A clock counts down the time available, and sounds an alarm when there are two minutes left. When the time runs out, the door automatically opens.

The unit has six weight sensors beneath the floor, toilet seat and baby-changing table; they detect when the user leaves the unit.

The door again locks itself and the floor surface moves, treadmill style, to be scoured, disinfected and dried. The toilet seat rotates to be washed, disinfected and dried, and the hand basin is also scoured and disinfected.

The 45-second cleaning uses six litres of water and 55 amps of electricity.

The unit is connected to water, electricity and sewer networks, and is remotely monitored by a central maintenance and security team.

If a person is still inside when the time runs out, the doors open and a security team is sent to check on the unit. (The city can also request that it be linked to local emergency services.)

An internal computer monitors the paper and soap levels, to alert maintenance crews when refills are needed.

The units have smoke alarms, and battery backup if the power cuts out.

Designs range from a small pillar-type design to a larger room that accommodates a stroller and includes a baby's change table.

-- Tenille Bonoguore


© The Globe and Mail.

oooo...I finally hit post 300...lol!

^ awesome!!!!!! #$%#%#%$#%#

but 10 minutes? what if somebody has diahrea??? :p

Really cool! Excited to visit one...lol!

i remember them in europe in the 80's - the doors would automatically open if you were in there too long

^ awesome!!!!!! #$%#%#%$#%#

but 10 minutes? what if somebody has diahrea??? :p

Then it would take the shit out of him lol

Then it would take the shit out of him lol

it usually takes longer than 10 mins for diahrea.

I mean "scare the shit out of him" :P

Anyway, these toilets with doors that spring open after 10 minutes were used in Japan quite a while ago.

Does anyone know if these have been contructed yet because the City of Vancouver said that the 8 they are building were to have been delivered from JC Decaux in Nov?

I havent seen any yet

i wouldn't be surprised if this was delayed. those LCD screen and new forms of advertisement Translink promised was aimed for 2005....we only started seeing them this winter.

It just seems like it takes so long for anything to get done in Vancouver. If this was Japan or Europe it would be old news.

lol...then I see your post on Olympic sites being finished early

random off-topic:

Just a heads up everyone, i will be away for the next week or so.....other moderators will be in charge of this forum and prairies. cheers!

Cool dude, where you going? It better be hot!

Hong Kong.......behave yourselves, all of you!!! don't make me take that bat out when i get back...

Have a great time and don't forget to take lots of snaps of the MTR, buses, skyscrapers, etc.

it usually takes longer than 10 mins for diahrea.

Who the hell uses a public washroom for Diarrhea anyway? I'd rather wait and explode than sit on - God knows how dirty - a public toilet seat.

The toilet seats are automatically cleaned after every.....ummm.....interaction.