Calgary unveils state-of-art public potty stop

[benyl]

I wonder how they will deal with the street peeps using it to shoot up and do drug deals... or even sleeping in there.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/02/08/public-toilet.html


Calgary officials are heralding the city's first self-cleaning, automated public toilet as a step toward improving the popular 17th Avenue area for visitors.

The device, which will be free to users, was unveiled in Tomkins Park on 17th Avenue S.W. amid a blustery snowfall Friday morning. The city wants to test the unit over the winter to determine how suitable it is in Calgary's climate.

"We know a lack of public washrooms in the centre city is a barrier to visitors, tourists and residents enjoying the area," said city official Dave Breckon.

"This installation is another part of addressing the issue," he said.

The toilet boasts an electronic sliding door, stainless steel sensor-operated sink, and even voice messages and music. It flushes itself when someone washes their hands or opens the door to leave.

After each use, the toilet seat retracts into a rear compartment, allowing an automatic wash cycle to begin that disinfects the seat, sprays the floor with water jets, and then dries everything with fans.

The unit, similar to pay models common in western Europe, can also alert staff when it requires service, supplies or when someone calls for help from inside.

The Tomkins Park toilet is a pilot project as city administrators develop a "public toilet strategy" for other parts of Calgary's core areas, expected later this summer.

[97'Scort]

I think they're a great idea. I also like the 'pop up' urinals that you can find in France and Belgium. They retract into the sidewalk during the day, and look like a manhole cover. At night, they pop up and have 3 urinals on them.

[Canmorite]

I give it 1-2 months before its completely destroyed.

[gpomp]

don't these cost something like $300k each?

[finboy]

Originally posted by 97'Scort
I think they're a great idea. I also like the 'pop up' urinals that you can find in France and Belgium. They retract into the sidewalk during the day, and look like a manhole cover. At night, they pop up and have 3 urinals on them.

victoria is doing that

soooo everyone realises this is just going to be used by drug dealers as a distribuition point, right?

[LadyLuck]

good to know taxpayers money is put to good use:guns:

[01RedDX]

.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by 01RedDX


That long? :rofl:

No kidding.... I give it 1 weekend.... possibly even destroyed by tomorrow morning haha.

[Konj]

There's probably a catch to it to protect it from getting destroyed/trashed. I have to go shit right now, I am going to go use that washroom since I live few blocks away from it.

[icecreamvan]

Is it heated? I wouldn't want my ass to be frozen to the seat after the machine sprays it down.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Konj
There's probably a catch to it to protect it from getting destroyed/trashed. I have to go shit right now, I am going to go use that washroom since I live few blocks away from it.

report back to us

and whats stopping people from preventing them to destroy it? it turns into a transformer too and throws shit at you?

[dino_martini]

Originally posted by benyl
I wonder how they will deal with the street peeps using it to shoot up and do drug deals... or even sleeping in there.

They have a timer on the door thing so it stays closed for a while, but then it opens and stays open until you leave. Atleast that is how I understand it to work. Plus it costs 25 cents, druggies dont have 25 cents to spare, thats 25 cents less towards their next hit.

I think more of these should be installed. I swear I was coming out of a parkade downtown, and behind a dumpster a homeless guy was taking a dump. :barf: Seriously, the homeless problem is out of control.

[anarchy]

Originally posted by dino_martini


They have a timer on the door thing so it stays closed for a while, but then it opens and stays open until you leave. Atleast that is how I understand it to work. Plus it costs 25 cents, druggies dont have 25 cents to spare, thats 25 cents less towards their next hit.

I think more of these should be installed. I swear I was coming out of a parkade downtown, and behind a dumpster a homeless guy was taking a dump. :barf: Seriously, the homeless problem is out of control.

I wonder how long the timer is. What if it's not long enough and you have a lot of bombs to drop....and the door automatically opens in mid-day.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by anarchy


I wonder how long the timer is. What if it's not long enough and you have a lot of bombs to drop....and the door automatically opens in mid-day.

:rofl: :rofl:

[SCHIDER23]

:rofl: :rofl: I guess you have to get out and get back in for the timer to reset lol :dunno:

[89coupe]

Drunk guy, drunk girl. Hey lets go for a quicky, we got 9 minutes!

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by SCHIDER23
:rofl: :rofl: I guess you have to get out and get back in for the timer to reset lol :dunno:

All the while you got monkey butt going on!

[shadowz]

They had those in London so long ago

[brandon]

Originally posted by anarchy


I wonder how long the timer is. What if it's not long enough and you have a lot of bombs to drop....and the door automatically opens in mid-day.

omfg, ahahahahahahaahahahaha

[5hift]

According to the Herald, the toilet cost $220,000 and is fully automatic, self santizing itself. They monitor the length of time each user is in the restroom, but I highly doubt after a set amount of time the toilet just opens the door as that would be retarded. My guess is after a set amount of time, some monitor would alert nearby beat cops that someone has been in there for a while, so they can see if a normal looking person just had a mad dump when he walks out, or some homeless guy was shooting up in there.

Wtf is up with Calgary, 200K on a public toilet, and our mayor dropping $75K of our tax money on a years "neccesary" trips to the east coast of Canada. How the fuck can one guy spend $75K travelling to eastern canada in one year?

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by 5hift
According to the Herald, the toilet cost $220,000 and is fully automatic, self santizing itself. They monitor the length of time each user is in the restroom, but I highly doubt after a set amount of time the toilet just opens the door as that would be retarded. My guess is after a set amount of time, some monitor would alert nearby beat cops that someone has been in there for a while, so they can see if a normal looking person just had a mad dump when he walks out, or some homeless guy was shooting up in there.

Yup door just opens after 10-15 minutes to deter homeless people from sleeping in it... "deter" my ass, they sleep in middle of the fucking sidewalk, like they give a shit if they're caught sleeping in there

[5hift]

^^
fuck that would suck

Imagine being constipated on the toilet in the middle of rush hour, and seeing a timer counting down how many seconds you have til the door swings open

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by 5hift
^^
fuck that would suck

Imagine being constipated on the toilet in the middle of rush hour, and seeing a timer counting down how many seconds you have til the door swings open

Or if you had taco bell for lunch... god knows after fries supreme you could be on the toilet for 15-30 min straight

[Rat Fink]

.

[retro-steve]

yes, it's the lack of public toilets deterring tourism to downtown...

what a crappy idea (pun intended)

[98type_r]

Originally posted by Rat Fink
The idea of the door swinging open mid-dump...and you having to run out with a dirty ass, and then wait for the toilet to clean itself so you can run back in to finish kinda doesn't sit right with me.

....it would be awesome to rig it up somehow with the sensors....so right when the person is about to take a dump, the toilet gets pulled away into the wall, they shit on their shoes, and then get totally drenched in a cleaning cycle!! ahaha

:rofl: :rofl:
what you're describing reminds me of one weird japanese clip where the pranked guys in public toilets.

edit: Found it!
YsDbOMJOMgQ

[dino_martini]

If your in there too long an alarm sounds and the door opens. The walls are poreclin on steel so they resist grafiti. The toilet can send a message if its being destroyed. Neat stuff. Part of me wants to believe people wont destroy the toilet, but the other part of me believes people will.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by dino_martini
If your in there too long an alarm sounds and the door opens. The walls are poreclin on steel so they resist grafiti. The toilet can send a message if its being destroyed. Neat stuff. Part of me wants to believe people wont destroy the toilet, but the other part of me believes people will.

Seems to almost be human nature. Why do people smash windows at bus shelters?

[mo_money2supe]

Did anyone even click on the link?

Quoted directly from the CBC link:
"A light flashes after nine minutes to warn the user to wrap up their activities. At the 10-minute mark, the unit's door opens. If someone remains in the unit, motion sensors set off a piercing alarm."

So not only will you be left there with your pants down and the door wide open, but a piercing alarm will let everyone around know that you're in there. Somehow, I have a feeling there's gonna be at least one lawsuit coming about against the City.

[4lti7ude]

Man only 10 Minutes to go to the bathroom...:rofl:

[grrrouch]

Originally posted by dino_martini
The walls are poreclin on steel so they resist grafiti.

hahah you think thats really gunna stop em? itll be all etched out in a matter of a week and the plastic will be all burnt :whipped:

[nismodrifter]

So who's gonna use this thing first? I want to see a Review thread soon haha.

I remember reading an article on this idea sometime last year. They wanted to install these high-tech toilets at C-train stations and various parts around downtown. I didn't think they would actually go through with it.

[Godfuader]

Originally posted by 5hift
...Wtf is up with Calgary, 200K on a public toilet, and our mayor dropping $75K of our tax money on a years "neccesary" trips to the east coast of Canada. How the fuck can one guy spend $75K travelling to eastern canada in one year?

IIRC it was around $65K of which $30K was for four trips between Middle East and the Far East for city benefitting trips. :rolleyes:

[Proboscis]

Whats most likely going to happen is someone throwing up or spewing diarrhea all over the floor. Wonder how it handles shit like that. Or just for kicks, someone will lay one of those snake logs on the floor and think its worth the 25¢ to see the expression on the next man's face. Well if the pilot program works out is a :thumbsup: from me.

[Amysicle]

Originally posted by 88CRX


No kidding.... I give it 1 weekend.... possibly even destroyed by tomorrow morning haha.
:werd:

What a waste of tax dollars. Someone mentioned it was the lack of public toilets deterring tourists from downtown, well give it a week and this overpriced toilet isn't going to be much better. Plus, I figured as long as you're a customer, wouldn't restaurants and business let you use the bathroom, so long as you don't look like a drug addict?

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Proboscis
Whats most likely going to happen is someone throwing up or spewing diarrhea all over the floor. Wonder how it handles shit like that. Or just for kicks, someone will lay one of those snake logs on the floor and think its worth the 25¢ to see the expression on the next man's face. Well if the pilot program works out is a :thumbsup: from me.

Apparently its self cleaning. Basically gets pressure washed after every use.

[toyboy88]

Just make it $1-1.50/per use like they have in Europe...when I went to Europe (as a tourist), if you HAD to go $1-/1.50 was nothing. Plus it will keep the "druggies" out of it.

That's if it survives the pilot program.

:dunno:

[rmk]

I'll try and swing by this afternoon and experience this thing.

[ZorroAMG]

Someone's gonna get in there, fake a knife attack on themselves, put an inmate's blood under their nails that they've stored in a ketchup packet and drown as someone shorts out the water shut off.

Then Mac will come with a witty one liner.

[FiveFreshFish]

There's nothing stopping someone from going on the floor, walls or in the sink. :barf:

[sneek]

Originally posted by Proboscis
Whats most likely going to happen is someone throwing up or spewing diarrhea all over the floor. Wonder how it handles shit like that. Or just for kicks, someone will lay one of those snake logs on the floor and think its worth the 25¢ to see the expression on the next man's face.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:\

[VWEvo]

I checked it out last night after going to the Met. It was closed. So its definately not a 24 hr thing. Kinda interesting that part of the reason they put it is to prevent people from going to the bathroom in alley's. Isn't it late night after the bars close that this thing really should be open???

[Graham_A_M]

I read in the paper today it cost $210,000. Not to sure if they'll be more to come, and what the price on those would be:dunno:

[JAYMEZ]

They had these in Surfers Paradise Australia when I lived there... They are actually pretty cool and very useful when you are bar hoping! And these things are pretty bullet proof , so I dont think itll be easy to destroy one.

[ashee]

Originally posted by toyboy88
Just make it $1-1.50/per use like they have in Europe...when I went to Europe (as a tourist), if you HAD to go $1-/1.50 was nothing. Plus it will keep the "druggies" out of it.

That's if it survives the pilot program.

:dunno:

Agreed, just letting people go in for free is asking hobos to harbour there.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Someone's gonna get in there, fake a knife attack on themselves, put an inmate's blood under their nails that they've stored in a ketchup packet and drown as someone shorts out the water shut off.

Then Mac will come with a witty one liner.

:rofl:

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
There's nothing stopping someone from going on the floor, walls or in the sink. :barf:

Yeah, I could easily see someone shitting in the sink. "Hey it's self-cleaning right?!" :barf:

[300zxfairlday]

WOW i neeeded a goood laugffff and this did just that :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[pome902]

Originally posted by 89coupe
Drunk guy, drunk girl. Hey lets go for a quicky, we got 9 minutes!

haha very nicee =D

[Big Dangerous]

I'm gonna be the first to jerk off all over the toilet seat in there.. lets see mr roboto clean that shit up

[Bimmer88]

I can picture some perv hiding a camera in there....

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Bimmer88
I can picture some perv hiding a camera in there....

Thats true, with it technically giving you access to a "womans public toilet" it's a matter of time before something like this happens

Its so weird how something is made and it makes life REALLY convenient, but all we can focus on is negative things about it. Shows how much faith we have in humanity.

[250and3]

Can someone post a review please? I need to know if it's worth the extra block walk or if I should just shit in the alley like I always have.

help a brotha out.

[khtm]

Man there's a lot of people that can't read.
It's SELF CLEANING. It PRESSURE WASHES ITSELF between uses. You can shit on the frickin' ceiling if you want and it will get washed off in 10 minutes.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by khtm
Man there's a lot of people that can't read.
It's SELF CLEANING. It PRESSURE WASHES ITSELF between uses. You can shit on the frickin' ceiling if you want and it will get washed off in 10 minutes.

If i took a dump on the hood of your car, are you saying you'd be fine with it as long as you could take a pressure washer to it? ;)