As one gets older and becomes a Senior, your acquaintance with your bladder assumes a new importance.
Hence the importance of the toilet stop.
Fine if you are home or at a friend’s.
But woe betide if you are in a foreign land and in desperation, you search for a loo, a mall or even at times, for a Macca’s, as you know they have one.
Hoping they are full of people, so you can go unnoticed.
The Cockney “alphabet” is often in my thoughts – you know “A” for Horses, “B” for Mutton, “C” for Miles. Well “P” is for Relief and given that there are 3 P’s in Peppinck, all rather apt.
So that little sign “Public Toilets,” are as welcome as sighting the Eiffel Tower.
It gives full value to their sometimes being called a public convenience – too right mate – convenient indeed, more likely a public necessity.
Now I ride my bike on Canberra’s excellent bike paths, and I know exactly where the public necessities are, especially as the weather grows colder and the body clock shouts at me, “It’s time.”
So I welcome the view, albeit in continent far away, on behalf of tourists and I am sure, locals.
Welcome news, some councils, will provide more public facilities and that there will be appropriate signage.
The concern is always about the cleanliness of public toilets and that is why they are often avoided by the stout of bladder, if they can hold out and avoid them.
But for wee desperadoes, that is not a luxury we can afford.
Many countries now have telephone booth-size, stand alone, street-corner toilets
The French have may street toilets where men, their heads and feet exposed, can do their stuff and then too, there are the many, prominently sign-posted “Toilettes.”
And generally inside, an attendant who is responsible for the continued cleanliness of the facility and that it is stocked with loo paper and hand towels, and a small fee on entry, with no discount for the size of the job!
Most modern mall toilets, as in Bahrain, now have the airblades, with a rocket like thrust, to dry washed hands, welcome in a paper free world.
Many countries now too, have unisex or gender free toilets, but that is probably a toilet too far, for some countries.
But well done indeed, councils, particularly in Manama, together with the imposition of sizeable fines for violators, for it will certainly curtail the street urinators, who now will have no other choice but to go where directed.
Sadly, the abuse of park facilities will go on, unless facilities are locked at night.
A single guard is no match for a gang of thugs; perhaps more air horns, to draw public attention to any situation and summon police.
Finally a brick-bat for parliamentarians who simply head off to lunch and don’t return, so that the chamber has a quorum.
Very poor form, little chance of public respect, odium instead, rightly so.
wpeppinck@hotmail.com
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