Cairns public urination problem makes CBD, Shields St stink of wee
Public urinators have been urged to pinch their peckers as stifling heat and poor toilet habits turn parts of the Cairns CBD into a stinking sauna of human secretions.
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PUBLIC urinators have been urged to pinch their peckers as stifling heat and poor toilet habits turn parts of the Cairns CBD into a stinking sauna of human secretions.
Pockets of pee-drenched footpaths and shopfronts are all over the city-centre – but a certain spot has emerged as the number one discharge point.
What is meant to be the premier pedestrian retail thoroughfare of Cairns, Shields St mall, has become a public toilet – and urine is not the only concern.
Scubapix owner Peter Mooney said some of the mess left outside his shop was deplorable, and increasingly frustrating.
Urine, faeces and blood from late-night fights were all creating an undesirable environment for business.
Mr Mooney believed Cairns Regional Council needed to open up more public toilets – especially with the return of facilities in the Shields St mall.
He also wanted existing toilets to be better promoted and made more visible that people knew they existed, and for the street to be lit up at night.
“Public amenities in the city are not well promoted to locals and tourists,” he said.
Mr Mooney chanced upon Division 7 councillor Max O’Halloran recently, and took him on a bodily-fluid tour of Shields St.
To his credit, he said the council’s hosing program appeared to have been slightly increased in the following weeks.
“But that doesn’t take away from the daily remittance of urine and everything else,” he said.
“It’s terrible what’s going on up here.”
Some of the city’s pee and poo predicament can be attributed to large numbers of itinerant men and women sleeping rough in the streets.
Mr Mooney believed more public buildings should have toilets opened to the public at all hours to accommodate those people – especially the old School of Arts building whose facilities were locked inside after its refurbishment.
Acting Inspector Glen De Lai said police had issued 43 public urination charges in the Cairns City Safe precinct over the year to March 1, down slightly from 46 the previous year.
A recent three-day intensive operation targeting anti-social behaviour in the CBD resulted in 29 notice to appears and arrests, 44 charges, five move-on directions, 10 drug diversions and 31 litres of alcohol being tipped out.
“The city-centre, the Esplanade is the postcard of Cairns, and it needs to be kept clean and safe,” Act Insp De Lai said.
“So I can understand why some businesses and residents are upset with that type of behaviour.”
Police have urged shopkeepers with particular urination problems to notify Policelink so CCTV cameras can be redirected.
“If someone’s urinating in public, for police to take action we need the evidence,” Act Insp De Lai said.
“It’s sometimes not good enough just to have a wet patch and a person.
“Yes, we know the offence has occurred, but proving that the offence occurred before the courts can sometimes present some difficulties with the evidence.
“That's why those City Safe cameras are so important.”
A Cairns Regional Council spokeswoman said the number of public toilets in the CBD had “not changed substantially” in the past 10 years, but several new toilets had been installed and existing facilities upgraded.
“For example, new toilets installed in Grafton St and the Lake Street Car park have replaced older facilities in Spence St and the School of the Arts,” she said.
“There are no current plans to install new toilets in Shields St, but council regularly reviews its facilities as the needs of the community change.
“During the summer months, cleaning services are increased and council encourages people with specific requests, issues or complaints to get in touch with council directly.”
There is some behaviour no amount of toilet advertising will fix.
“The other day a lady had her arse perched up on one of the benches with her strides pulled down around her ankles,” Mr Mooney recounted.
“She was doing her business in the garden in the middle of the city.”
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Originally published as Cairns public urination problem makes CBD, Shields St stink of wee
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