Pis·soir (pe-swär ) n. A public urinal located on the street in some European countries. [French, from Old French, from pissier, to urinate; see piss.]Just when I thought I had seen everything there was to see, something else comes along, and I invariably greet it with shouts of laughter and "I don't believe it!"
In an effort to handle its nighttime public urination problem, Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is considering installing urinals that disappear below street level during the day. Unlike the automated, self-cleaning toilets planned for Toronto and Vancouver, which are enclosed booths with doors that that automatically open after a set time period, the Urilift system is a two-meter high stainless steel cylinder with three alcoves, each with a urinal, and no doors.
By day, the Urilift is lowered below street level for a nice clean look. Then at night, an operator comes by with a remote and the Urilift hydraulically lifts to sidewalk level in about two minutes. Then the unit is ready to serve all the nighttime party animals who don’t mind peeing in a very exposed public urinal.
Because there are no doors, there is little danger of any unauthorized or illegal activities. San Francisco and Seattle’s auto-toilets have been derided as dens for drug dealers and prostitutes. In addition, the presence of an attendant nearby to lower the system in the morning means it’s unlikely a drunken reveler who slumps over the Urilift will wake up under the street. The urinals are designed exclusively for men, and more specifically, for male drinkers. The $75,000 system has been installed across the Netherlands, and have spread to London and Belfast, but Victoria will be the first North American city to try them out.
… John Chow Dot Com
I used to live just around the corner from Kits Pub, a popular Kitsilano watering hole. Every night as the bar closed, fellows used to make it as far as the bushes just outside my living room window before they felt the call of nature. I used to stick my head out the window, giggle and say, "I can seeeeee yooooo...." That would send them scurrying off in a hurry.
Thank goodness it rains a lot in Vancouver.
Well, this seems to be the answer. Where's Clark Kent when we need him?
15 comments:
Josie you are to funny....."hello I can see you"....tee hee...
Great idea to keep the streets a bit cleaner and helpful especially for the homeless. But what about the WOMEN??? It's bad enough we still have to stand in line at concerts, sports games, etc. but not to even have a place to sit out in public??? lol
And they named him John.
...and John said, ahhhhhhhhhhh
Interesting......I agree with leslie, though, where are the women s'posed to relieve themselves? I guess it wouldn't matter though, there would still be a line for it !
Yes, I can't really see how this helps. Men can go anywhere - it's us lasses who need somewhere. After a few drinks I have to go to the loo every ten minutes.
My children would definitely be keen to try and climb on it as it disappeared under ground. They do that with those bollard things that go in and out of the ground to let people into parking spaces.
Just for the ladies' dilemma. Apparently you get a type of funnel that you can use wile standing *thump* aaaaaaaagggggggghhh... uuurrrggghhhhh...
I'll be quiet now...
Firefly,
You are a twisted dude. :)
Gives a how new meaning to the term "man hole"!! Probably not a bad idea, really, in an area close to bars...
If I had control over it - and I am glad I don't - I would want the bar owners to buy those portable toilets and wheel them out every night and put them away during the day time - and they could be responsible for paying to make sure they were cleaned out and maintained!
But this is a great -though expensive - idea!
Now those pissers are handy.
Mary Anne, yes, I always laughed. :-)
Leslie, women are too ladylike. We use the facilities in the clubs. *heh*
Ivan, LOL
Mark, LOL. heh, heh.
Kathy, oh, yes, those lineups for the ladies room. *sigh*
RB, I KNOW!!!! Discrimination, that's what it is! :-)
Firefly, I have heard of those things. However, using one would give a new definition to the word "lady"... Heh
Russell, sometimes construction sites have those portable "port-a-potties" and it's really gross walking past them. Okay, this seems to be deteriorating, heh, heh.
Charles, it's pissoir. Remember, anything sounds good if you say it with a French accent. :-)
There is a creek in Ohio called "Pee Pee Creek". Seriously.
Good thing it rains a lot out there, or you would have a real problem!
Willow, Pee Pee Creek? Noooooo! Oh, that's too funny!
That is wild. I was hoping to see the guy come out of it...
Hey! The video does not play. I suspect covert activity.
~Lorna
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