Could this Solve Manly's Street Urination Issue?

It's a urinal. Now you see it, now you don't. What a brilliant solution!

It's time a solution was found to the problem of late night urination in Manly's CBD and this could be just the answer.
Already working successfully in cities in the UK and Europe, the UriLift urinal is concealed underground during the day, and appears with the simple push of a remote ready for action, later at night.

Each cylindrical, stainless-steel UriLift includes three separate, doorless urinals that can be used simultaneously. While underground, all that remains visible of the device is its circular cover. To make the UriLift pop up for the evening, the press of a button on the device’s remote control is all that’s required. The urinals and drain are connected to the mains sewer, so that interim cleaning is unnecessary; there’s also a connection to the water mains, but the device can be supplied with a rainwater-based water tank instead, or for use without water. Lighting and heating are both available on the vandalism-proof device.

Good for Manly will be looking into this system as a possible solution to Manly's street urination woes.  The City of Sydney has included the installation of a number of these urinals as part of their  Late Night Economy Plan which was adopted by Council recently.

Where could they be located in Manly?   Two locations have previously been identified as hot spots:

* Outside the vicinity of St Matthews Church
* At the intersection of The Corso/Sydney Road near Henrietta Lane.

At a cost of around $40,000 - $60,000 per unit the Urilift system may seem expensive  but research has shown that once installed maintenance and vandalism costs are minimal.  The system is a far cheaper option than building a toilet block, which has already been identified as an unsuitable solution, or providing portable urinals which the Council rejected as an idea in November 2011.

According to Local Police Commander Dave Dacy, the urination problem in Manly’s CBD is even worse than that experienced in Kings Cross. 

We know where the main problem spots are and it’s naive to say that guys who have had too much to drink should go back into the pub and find a toilet.  They don’t.  They simply find somewhere to wee nearby which is usually a laneway, doorway or around St Matthews Church.

Due to ongoing vandalism Manly Council has had to close public toilets at midnight. Regardless, these toilets are not in the hot-spot locations nor are they easy to find.

What I am proposing is a system which disappears into the ground when it is not required, that is during the day, and appears in the wee-small hours of the morning when the need for quick relief is most prevalent.

What do you think?  Is this an option that Council should seriously consider?

This is very cool - watch the system in action .....