As in any big city, public urination has been a huge problem in Paris. But the city’s new solution to this issue is not exactly being welcomed by Parisian residents.
The Parisian government recently decided to install eco-friendly public urinals throughout the city, in an effort to clean up high-profile areas. But everyday Parisians are not having it, calling the cherry red boxes with “uritrottoir” signs above them eyesores. Walk through particularly bad are areas like Île-Saint-Louis, a beautiful, historic neighborhood just a bridge from Notre Dame, where the spectacular views of the Seine are now being soiled.
The event also leaves a lot of women wondering, “What about us?” While Paris’s public self-cleaning port-a-potties known as sanisettes are scattered throughout town, they are far from capable of handling the heavy traffic of wine-guzzling tourists in areas like the Latin Quarter, the Champs-de-Mars, and the long, secluded pathways along the Seine.
Whether the uritrottoirs will catch on or whether the project will be abandoned, no one can say just yet. But you can be sure there will be a lot of men walking around Paris with much lighter bladders.
