It was done to save money and cut down on “inappropriate behavior” by eliminating any privacy. Prisons do it for the same reasons (& they don’t have to care about complaints). I’ve never actually been in a restroom with no dividers at all between the toilets, but I’ve been in ones with no doors on the stalls. Mostly public places like rest stops, parks, or beaches. Oh and the toilets in my HS lockerroom were set up like that. I’m not really sure what they were affraid we’d be doing since every other boys’ restroom had stall doors. Those toilets were very seldom used (except when the urinals were all in use).
I have to say I am shocked at this attitude. It’s nature.
Living in cities isn’t natural. So we adjust our behaviour to our environment. What, you take a shit in the middle of the mall? But it’s nature!
I showed this to my hubs and he said it wouldn’t bother him in the least to use one of those…but I think men are more comfortable peeing in public (as in out of doors) than women are.
I couldn’t use it(but then again,I am of the female persuasion)…shoot,porta potties are even a nit much for me. Must be all that sensible midwestern upbringing.
Band name!
I agree with the general principle that peeing in a decent receptacle in a reasonable place, rather than just whizzing anywhere you like whenever you want, is one of the necessary restrictions that society places on individual behavior.
However, I think that a properly constructed and maintained street urinal IS a decent receptacle in a reasonable place for peeing. You disagree. Okay.
I don’t think that the principle “since we can’t provide this convenience for everybody equally, let’s not provide it for anybody” is the most sensible basis for urban planning. You might as well argue that since wheelchair users have to wait around for elevators in subway stations instead of using the faster and more convenient escalators and stairs, then we should just rip out the escalators and stairs and make everybody use elevators.
The fact is that due to the combined influences of anatomy and cultural convention, it is easier to provide facilities for rapid, discreet and sanitary urination in public places for men than for women. I’m quite well aware that this isn’t strictly fair to us women, but I don’t think equalizing the situation by refusing to provide street urinals for men is a sensible solution.
And, as I noted above, it’s not as though women are in any way prohibited from using the same street urinals as men if they can do it discreetly. Maybe the best solution is for more of us to start traveling with one of those Shenis or Herwang tube thingies and using street urinals when we need to pee, thus mitigating the unfairness of it all.
I actually don’t think I’d mind that too much, but I’d sure have to get very skilled at using the device properly before I’d be willing to try it in public. The appeal of just being able to stop on the sidewalk in a strange city for a quick legal pee instead of frantically searching with bursting bladder for a ladies’ room would certainly go far to overcome my natural shyness.
In 1963 in Saigon there were public latrines called pisswoirs. We pronounced it pisswa and it must have come from the french.
They were a chest high U shaped wall right on the sidewalk of some major streets. You faced out with a building at your back. While you were taking a leak you could see all the folks walking by.
Outside the unit along the arms of the U there were small walls maybe 12 inches high. Between the wall and arm of the U there were concrete footpads about 2 inches high with a “bombsight” - a hole into the sewer - between them. That’s what the women used.
The Vietnamese didn’t get excited about urination. It was common to see men peeing into the gutter of Tudo street - the main street of Saigon - facing the passing traffic. After a few months I did the same and thought nothing of it.
This makes no sense. Urban planning should be based on providing what works, not on what’s fair. Just because women have a natural disadvantage doesn’t mean that men should be artificially forced to suffer the same disadvantage. The current system allows both men and women to be served with net lower construction costs and smaller lines.
Holy crap, Batman, I’d go find a nice tree or bush to pee behind before ever using a nightmare like that.
But then again, I prefer to use a stall even in a men’s room.
Color me in the meh, what’s the big deal seats.
Grow up, seeing a penis is hardly a death sentence. What do you think? A woman sees a penis and catches that deadly nymphomania?
I’d piss in it. I don’t care. I’ll piss anywhere. I’ve pissed off balconies.
Teacake is being ridiculous, by the way. These things are perfectly sanitary. It’s not that easy for me to hold it anymore either. Guys start getting leaky as they age.
Women don’t have to hold it, there’s just a slightly higher risk to reward ratio for them usually (although sometimes it’s easier for them if they are wearing a skirt since nothing actually gets exposed). I’ve certainly seen my fair share of women in cities popping a squat in the streets. The real culprit is of course the lack of public facilities. If a city is inadequately equipped, people can hardly be expected to run home every two hours to pee. Of course, it’s better to have access to facilities for both genders. I’d think having those men only things around would only be fair if they were a supplement to woman friendly structures.
So I agree with your point, if these are permanent things on city street corners with no stalls anywhere, but I disagree if they are a supplement to portapotties or permanent stalls.
They have these (sans buttgate) in Bristol city centre too, though I’ve only used them at festivals. It can take a bit more focus when there are women in earshot I must say. But I’d like to also object to Teacake’s horrified reaction; it could be considered resignation to binge-drinking culture, but is a pragmatic effort to minimise the ‘dog-like’ behaviour of urinating any old where.
I don’t think I’d have a problem using one. Hell, half the time I take my dog out I have a piss right along with him. 
we can only hope… we can only hope
This thread is the most entertaining thing I’ve read all week. 
[Moderating]
This being GQ, I don’t think a debate about the propriety of urinating is really appropriate here. If you want to discuss whether it should be a crime, or other moral issues, please start a thread in GD. Let’s restrict this to the subject of the OP, that is, different styles of urinals.
This goes for everyone.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
…which I have used myself on occasion. They bring them out on Friday night at around 8pm, and come back to collect them at about 6am on Saturday morning. Repeat the processs Saturday evening/Sunday morning. This means that those who feel able can relieve themselves, and they are not in the way of shoppers in the daytime.
In response to Teacake, while I agree that these facilities are not the ideal of decorum, and somewhat unfair to women, the fact is that when you have just been to a bar and drunk 3-4 pints without relieving yourself because you think that you are going to the club next door, only to emerge and find that half the party wants to go somewhere else and the other half has gone to buy pizza, and you’re drunk, and you REALLY need to pee, you’re just going to go. This applies whatever the orientation of your genitals - I have seen women pissing in the street as well as men. These devices happen to be a handy invention that allow men to keep some of their dignity and not foul the streets, which is better than the alternative.
I never said they weren’t sanitary - it was someone else who pointed out that there’s no facility for handwashing.
As for everything else… I think you’re all reading me in some kind of hysterical, foaming at the mouth tone of voice. I’m not shrieking about these things; I just think they’re a bit nasty and encourage, as someone said also, binge drinking and irresponsible behaviour. I also linked to an article about the actual money-costing damage caused by urine on buildings, which these are designed to solve, so clearly I’m against that and by extension to a certain level for these urinals. But whatever. I don’t really care about it that much, so I’ll just bow out and let you all piss all over the cities.