# Public "toilets" - you have got to be kidding! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585 "2010-02-26T23:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/21 "2010-02-27T02:22:50Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Are “vent stacks” the same as those small rectangular-shaped vents that go around the very top of the porta-potty? If so…they don’t work very well at letting air flow in OR smell flow out. No, they are tubes that start from the chemical well and extend up through the roof. [Example](http://www.unitedsiteservices.com/portable-toilets/standard-portable-toilets.html). ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/22 "2010-02-27T02:30:57Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I guess heat is relative but the portable toilets I’ve seen have vented stacks plus chemical toilets. the nicer ones have antiseptic gel dispensers and paper towels. even the vented ones stink horribly after the second day of a festival. I’d much rather use the out in the open 4 way urinal just from the point of view of the smell never mind the much shorter wait for them. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/23 "2010-02-27T03:26:48Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > even the vented ones stink horribly after the second day of a festival. I’d much rather use the out in the open 4 way urinal just from the point of view of the smell never mind the much shorter wait for them. Personally, I’d piss _anywhere_ else instead of using an enclosed porta-potty in its 2nd day of festivities. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/24 "2010-02-27T03:40:54Z")
I guess [the one-way mirror toilet](http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/toilet.asp) might scare you, too. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/25 "2010-02-27T03:43:11Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#): > > Personally, I’d piss _anywhere_ else instead of using an enclosed porta-potty in its 2nd day of festivities. You need to go to better venues. I go camping every year and they empty and clean them at least once a day. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/26 "2010-02-27T03:48:59Z")
It’s perfectly private, you have a little wall of dividers, on both sides. I that it you weren’t fond of the old football stadium piss troughs, standing shoulder to shoulder with about 100 guys lined up behind. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/27 "2010-02-27T04:53:02Z")
The troubling element isn’t peeing next to other men; as someone mentioned upthread, we do that all the time. What I would find off-putting is peeing among a bunch of people who aren’t peeing. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/28 "2010-02-27T04:59:25Z")
In the photo, did the guy on the left take his beer with him to the toilet or is that his urine sample? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/29 "2010-02-27T05:46:05Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You need to go to better venues. I go camping every year and they empty and clean them at least once a day. Man, that dedication to porta-potty servicing is SO inconsistent. These things are used everywhere, especially construction sites. I think I have yet to visit a well-maintained one. Most of the time, it’s like they have to start rotting before the company that owns/services them does anything. Crowded public venues are the worst for these things. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/30 "2010-02-27T05:51:30Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Man, that dedication to porta-potty servicing is SO inconsistent. These things are used everywhere, especially construction sites. I think I have yet to visit a well-maintained one. Most of the time, it’s like they have to start rotting before the company that owns/services them does anything. > > Crowded public venues are the worst for these things. They clean them daily at the week-long airshow at Oshkosh. They’re cleaner then most college dorms. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/31 "2010-02-27T06:11:49Z")
I saw similar portable open-air urinals routinely at festivals and so forth when I lived in the Netherlands, but the ones I saw didn’t have those “butt gates”; just curved niches where guys would stand facing the niche and be screened from the front and sides. They seemed quite private enough for all practical purposes, though I didn’t lurk and stare so I don’t know if it might have been possible for a dedicated peeper to see something. Many places in India have permanent open-air public urinals of the “niche” variety, but more substantially built: [article and photos here](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://waglestreetjournal.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/delhi_urination.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wagle.com.np/2009/11/19/world-toilet-day-delhi-public-urinals/&usg=__kINvCMecxrYC5enPR7IAvV-zgAc=&h=382&w=435&sz=86&hl=en&start=7&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=43p_0O7t4TmSfM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3DIndia%2Bpublic%2Burinals%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den-us%26tbs%3Disch:1). In my experience, there are no female equivalents of the open-air public urinal; facilities meant for women’s use are always enclosed (when they’re provided at all, which many places don’t bother to do. Female travelers frequently have to be a LOT better at holding it than males have to be.) ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/32 "2010-02-27T07:01:48Z")
Heheh, ever go to a swanky/pretentious bar/club only to see one of these in the bathroom? [http://www.gentworks.co.uk/images/P/VR%20Trough%20L.jpg](http://www.gentworks.co.uk/images/P/VR%20Trough%20L.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/33 "2010-02-27T12:00:09Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > “Deviates from the norm”? Sure, literally. But the tone of your answer seems rather hostile. > > Hey, I said “I” would have trouble peeing there. I wasn’t being critical, just surprised. And, yes, I guess it was pretty obvious that I lead a sheltered life (as you so astutely pointed out). So thanks for your snarky response. > > ETA: Do you want to know why I can’t travel? Hint - it’s the same reason I have a special sign on my car’s windshield. I have the special sign also … and a pretty blue-black wheelcair [and i travel ..](http://s789.photobucket.com/albums/yy176/aruvqan/Caribbean%20Vacation%202%205%2010/) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/34 "2010-02-27T12:11:02Z")
The toilets in the OP are used here at festivals, out door concerts and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/35 "2010-02-27T14:01:15Z")
30 years ago I went to a FB game and the bathroom just had a wall with water running down it for a urinal. The stadium was built in the 20s , the bathrooms have been upgraded now. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/36 "2010-02-27T14:34:44Z")
It seems to me these were put up so men wouldn’t be drunkenly peeing against buildings in full view of the public, or flooding the bushes with urine. Women are ‘out of luck’ and have to find, and stand in a long line in front of, a regular bathroom somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/37 "2010-02-27T17:10:08Z")
Are these things set over a drain or just a hole in the ground? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/38 "2010-02-27T17:54:11Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Are these things set over a drain or just a hole in the ground? They’re either hooked up to the sewage system or else they’re freestanding units with hidden containers to store the urine until they can be emptied and cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/39 "2010-02-27T19:22:05Z")
They have them on the streets of London - they got sick of the West End stinking of piss all the time. Personally I think they’re disgusting - why the hell should men have a licence to piss in the street, when women have to hold it? And the ones they have here are not that good at concealing what’s going on - you only have to be walking by and some guy’s knob is right there. It’s rank. But then I’m old and crotchety, and don’t really go up to town on weekend nights any more. I wouldn’t use one. Though I agree about the toilets at festivals. Portaloos are among my least favourite things, and if I could avoid being enclosed in one I would. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585/40 "2010-02-27T20:03:42Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > Personally I think they’re disgusting - why the hell should men have a licence to piss in the street, when women have to hold it? Technically, I suppose, women have just as much license to use street urinals as men do, if they can figure out a way to do so without exposing themselves any more than men do. In practice, though, unless women get one of those Herwang or Shenis or Urinelle tube-thingy devices for simulating a male urethra (some of which are described in [A Woman’s Guide to Peeing in Urinals](http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Wrote-A-Guide-To-Peeing-In-Urinals/392403)), it is much more difficult for us to use urinals discreetly. Plus we’re more liable to be hassled or peeped at for it, so we don’t bother trying. However, I don’t agree that it would be better to do away with street urinals altogether. For whatever reason, men generally seem to feel more entitled to piss in open spaces than women do, and I’d rather have them doing it in a comparatively discreet and sanitary way. They’re not going to hold it anyway, so we might as well give them someplace decent to put it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-toilets-you-have-got-to-be-kidding/530585.md?page=3)