Council logs dunny usage to discover what drives public toilet users potty

CAIRNS Regional Council has lifted the lid on a plan to standardise all of its well-plumbed sanctuaries for pedestrians feeling the pinch.

Research has shown that clean, easily accessible public toilet facilities are beneficial to tourism. Alistair Cormack, of Newcastle in England, relieves himself in the first-class facilities at Rattle and . PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

CAIRNS Regional Council has lifted the lid on a plan to standardise all of its well-plumbed sanctuaries for pedestrians feeling the pinch.

The sport and community services committee notched up runs on the board with a new public toilet strategy after carrying out an engaging review of every communal dunny in the region.

An internal survey revealed vandalism topped the list of issues that drove loo users potty, ahead of misuse of facilities, poor cleaning standards, high usage, and old or outdated facilities.

One cleaner had a huge backlog of work, apparently travelling 300km daily to clean 34 separate amenities blocks with less than four minutes of scrubbing time each.

“Council has 82 public toilets across the local government area which cost on average $150,000 to build and $17,000 annually to service and maintain,” the report said.

The absence of a strategic approach to building and maintaining public water closets resulted in inconsistencies with service levels, designs and “poor public perception of safety and cleanliness”.

“These issues have resulted in increased costs to council both at the construction phase and across the life of the asset,” the report continued.

Division 5 Cr Richie Bates said the provision of latrines was a vital consideration for the CBD and must not get bogged down in bureaucracy.

With the council fairly flush in its finances, he suggested taking the plunge to get facilities up to standard would not be too much of a drain.

“It’s not just about having toilets — it’s about making sure people know where they are and having the correct signage,” he said.

“It’s not a bad idea to have some guidelines around that.”

Originally published as Council logs dunny usage to discover what drives public toilet users potty