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This will make a good story in Taxi Today.
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The Gloucester Citizen
February 2, 2007 Friday
HEADLINE: Pop-up urinals set to rise to the occasion
The first pop-up gents' toilet in Gloucestershire is expected to be pressed into service in Stroud this weekend.
The £45,000 urinal in King Street was due to be officially unveiled at a ceremony today before vanishing into the pavement again until it is needed by late-night revellers.
The "Urilift", one of only a dozen in the UK, has been installed in an attempt to stop men urinating in shop doorways in the evenings and early hours of the morning.
The stainless steel cylindrical Urilift houses three urinals, which are hidden underground during the daytime.
Then in the evening it is raised up by remote control to become available to male nightclubbers congregating at the nearby taxi rank.
Coun Nigel Cooper, Stroud District Council's cabinet member for environment, said men urinating in shop doorways was a nuisance through the country.
"While it is an offence to urinate in public, it still happens," he said.
"It is quite disgusting and very upsetting for businesses in the town who have to clean up the mess every weekend."
Coun Cooper said previously the council had been unable to do anything to solve the problem.
But he hoped now the Urilift would combat the nuisance.
Shopkeeper Karen Sands, whose clothing store is close to the Urilift site, said she was worried about it at first.
"Initially I was a little concerned about it being right outside our shop display, but that really won't be an issue as it is underground during the day," said Ms Sands, manager of M&Co - formerly Mackays.
"We regularly have people urinating in our doorway and even through our letterbox, so this will be a welcome feature in addressing the problem."
Ms Sands added: "Traders in Stroud have had to suffer for much too long. I look forward to not having to deal with the mess in the future."
The Urilift has its own water supply and waste pipe so that it can be kept hygienic with regular, automatic flushing.
It is made by Calne-based Heathmatic, whose spokesman Roger Berry said: "The Stroud installation is probably the nearest to our factory, which makes it likely to become our flagship demonstration site."
Stroud does not have toilets open 24 hours in the town centre because of previous attacks on facilities by vandals.
But if the Urilift proves successful, the council might well consider a Urigienic - a variation for use by females.
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