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Canadian City Unveils $60k Open-Air Urinal

Posted by samzenpus on from the fanciest-toilet-in-town dept.

The city of Victoria, British Columbia has unveiled a new $60k public restroom that allows you to relive the joy of relieving yourself behind a parked car after a pub crawl. The new open air urinal is located across the street from one of the city’s most famous theater venues and is so loved by Bruce Carter, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, that he says it’s “an attraction in itself.”

28 comments

  1. Huh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    :|

  2. Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wait, 60 000$ for that? Talk about money down the drain!

    1. Re:Obligatory by SwingLife · · Score: 1

      I agree with you 100%.

      --
      Mike Hatcher, (top swinger) @SwingLifestyle.com
  3. For that money you'd think... by cruff · · Score: 1

    That they could have gotten a better pictogram indicating the function for which the facility is intended to be used. :-)

    1. Re:For that money you'd think... by blair1q · · Score: 1

      wouldn't that be :-)~~~ ?

  4. A brave new world. by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 2

    It is truly an exciting time to be alive.

    --
    If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
  5. Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by ThinkDrink · · Score: 1

    For 60,000 you think they could have made it indoor.. Considering Canada is -40 three quarters of the time, and yes, I do live in Canada. Though 30 drinks later I'm pretty sure no one cares about the temperature.. But 30 drinks later I don't think people care where they go either.

    1. Re:Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      Indoor facilities encourage the homeless to sleep there, especially if they are heated and lockable (ever seen The Pursuit of Happyness?). The whole point was to provide barely enough privacy to encourage the inebriated to take a whiz there instead of in a doorway, not to provide a comfortable refuge in which to engage in clandestine behavior (like the restroom in San Francisco made famous by George Michael).

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    2. Re:Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry man, you picked the wrong part of Canada,
      I live in Victoria myself, maybe 7 spread out days of the year it drops to -10 at worst.
      Pavement & proper plumbing is expensive, especially when it is municipal workers.
      I believe the cost is fair.
      (the urinal thing has been there for 3 years)

    3. Re:Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by psyque · · Score: 1

      Live in Canada? Maybe. Live in Victoria? Not likely. It only gets below -10C a few days a year in the worst winters.

    4. Re:Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a urinal. Urinals are rarely lockable in any case. Homeless people almost never sleep in them for, what I would assume, are obvious reasons.

    5. Re:Too bad Canada has 11 month winters by Rinnon · · Score: 1

      For 60,000 you think they could have made it indoor.. Considering Canada is -40 three quarters of the time, and yes, I do live in Canada. Though 30 drinks later I'm pretty sure no one cares about the temperature.. But 30 drinks later I don't think people care where they go either.

      You may live in Canada, but you certainly don't live in Victoria, where it NEVER gets to -40, period.

  6. Cue the jokes in 3... 2... 1... by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Sounds like a piss-poor excuse for a civic attraction.

    And no, there is no truth to the rumor that Bear Grylls was seen hanging out around the installation...

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  7. Wasted Taxes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So as usual the Canadian gov is spending their "hard earned tax payers dollars" on something that benefits only a tiny amount of the country and is a complete and utter waste of those tax dollars.

  8. Not all of us are boys by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 0

    OK, so what are us girls supposed to do? That bush doesn't look big enough to squat behind.

    1. Re:Not all of us are boys by Nutria · · Score: 1

      OK, so what are us girls supposed to do?

      Obviously the city *fathers* of Victoria want you to stay home cooking, cleaning and raising the kids.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    2. Re:Not all of us are boys by ne0n · · Score: 1

      1. there's not enough of a problem with girls relieving themselves in elevators, lobbies and doorways to warrant an artificial larger-size bush.
      2. Ladies get 10x the toilets per restroom at the mall and that covers 99% of the time you're out of the house anyways.

      If I sound bitter or cynical it's because I'm married.

      --
      $ :(){ :|:& };:
    3. Re:Not all of us are boys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bring me a sandwich and a beer, honey.
      Thanks. Love 'ya.

    4. Re:Not all of us are boys by hduff · · Score: 1

      http://www.go-girl.com/

      Women can pee standing up.

      Really.

      --
      "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
    5. Re:Not all of us are boys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Use a funnel.

  9. Common in Paris by boustrophedon · · Score: 1

    Such facilities are (were?) common in Paris and elsewhere: Wikipedia and Google Images

    Une vespasienne est un urinoir public pour hommes ...

    A vespasienne is a public urinal for men ...

    1. Re:Common in Paris by TuringCheck · · Score: 1

      But no true Frenchmen use them so nose clamps are a must when not raining.

  10. Not a waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...when you're spending other people's money. You're not in the business of government, are you?

    1. Re:Not a waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or a corporate officer.

  11. No mention of a sink? by opentunings · · Score: 1

    The article never mentions a sink. Does this mean that Victoria BC has given up on convincing men to wash after their pit stops?

    1. Re:No mention of a sink? by hduff · · Score: 1

      Maybe they assume Canadians are smart enough to not pee on their hands?

      --
      "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
  12. Err by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This thing has been around for quite a while, and I am pretty sure it didn't cost that much.

  13. Hey, I've used that by Maglos · · Score: 2

    Its creepy as hell during the day; I could see pedestrians. It's not that bad of an idea though; low maintenance, very clean when I used it and I felt safer then in other washrooms I've been in. Lots of guys would just piss on buildings and garbage cans otherwise. In Victoria they can just let the rain clean it.