Public Urinal, The Parade, Watford

Image: © Cathy Cox Taken: 3 Mar 2008

Yes, this is a urinal. The circular outline in the foreground is the roof of a pop-up urinal, one of two installed in Watford town centre for the purpose of reducing the necessity to use shop doorways after a night on the - er - town. Apparently they rise up at around 8pm on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays and sink at about 7 or 8am the following morning. I have no idea where the controller with, presumably, a remote is located but the command centre must surely be in contact with the CCTV operators to ensure no-one is standing on the pod when it pops up. My sources tell me that the arrival of these structures has had no discernible effect on the peeing habits of the revellers as, although they are strategically placed close to the main watering holes, they are so discreet (the urinals that is, not the merrymakers) that they are rarely noticed and the few punters who do spot them think they are drinking fountains. Judge for yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8iR3pgt37I On a more serious note, no similar provision has been made for the ladies who still have to find a dark alley for a moment's privacy - not a very safe option.

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