Posted on 07/17/2008 8:41:44 AM PDT by george76
After spending $5 million on its five automated public toilets, Seattle is calling it quits.
In the end, the restrooms, installed in early 2004, had become so filthy, so overrun with drug abusers and prostitutes, that although use was free of charge, even some of the citys most destitute people refused to step inside them.
The units were put up for sale Wednesday afternoon on eBay, with a starting bid set by the city at $89,000 apiece.
The dismal outcome coincides with plans by New York, Los Angeles and Boston, among other cities, to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for expansion this fall in their installation of automated toilets stand-alone structures with metal doors that open at the press of a button and stay closed for up to 20 minutes. The units clean themselves after each use, disinfecting the seats and power-washing the floors.
Seattle officials say the project here failed because the toilets, which are to close on Aug. 1, were placed in neighborhoods that already had many drug users and transients. Then there was the matter of cost: $1 million apiece over five years, which because of a local ordinance had to be borne entirely by taxpayers instead of advertisers.
In Seattle, problems arose almost immediately. Users left so much trash behind that the automated floor scrubbers had to be disabled, and prostitutes and drug users found privacy behind the toilets locked doors.
Im not going to lie: I used to smoke crack in there, said one homeless woman... But I wont even go inside that thing now. Its disgusting.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
want a $89,000 toilet?
lmao. What the heck did they expect. Dogooders are dumbarses.
“stay closed up to 20 minutes” I hope it doesn’t just open to the world in the middle of a Taco reBellion.
What the hcck is automated about these toilets?
What idiot thought these would be a good idea? I at least know it was a Democrat. But then again, that’s like calling water wet. It just goes without saying.
Do like they do in other countries that have public toilets...hire someone to take care of them.
lmbo!You know it’s bad when crack users and prostitutes won’t use the public toilets because of filth!
I think Berkley needs those $89.000 toilets, the tree sitters could come down from their roosts at night to use them and the Code Pinkos protesting the Marines could use them.
When the crack smokers won’t use the toilets......that’s pretty bad.
Even a functional moron can waste taxpayer money. Takes no effort whatsoever.
I wonder if any heads will roll over this idiotic idea?
I doubt it.
Purchasing a pre-owned APT can offer significant savings for any company, municipality or other agency considering such facilities, as the cost per unit new is approximately $500,000.
That's right, folks! The City of Seattle paid half a million buckadingdongs for a high-tech, stainless-steel crapper. I guess you could take a Sawzall to it to cut a little moon in the door if you want a mighty fine outhouse. You gotta dig yer own hole, though, and put concrete in there or it won't fit. They say they got most of the graffitti off but I'm not sure I like the look of the eelectric hand towel thingy.
Nasty.
Hahaha. Seattle. What did they expect?
I wouldn’t buy these “sin cubicles”. There’s too much nasty history in them. I’m reminded of W.C. Fields saying “I don’t drink water: fish **** in it.”
We in the U.S. have yet to shed our puritanical roots, he said. We are uptight about toilets."
"Why, a Frenchman will sit in the middle of the sidewalk doing his business. THAT'S how progressive they are!", says Mr. Leonard as he tries to shame people into accepting his stupid public toilet design.
If anyone is interested in seeing the eBay auctions:
http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=wcmatic&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270
So far this is my favorite quote of the year.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.