Seattle’s Automated Toilets Go Way of the Box and Chain ( $89,000 apiece on eBay )

The New York Times ^ | July 17, 2008 | CHRISTOPHER MAAG

[george76]

After spending $5 million on its five automated public toilets, Seattle is calling it quits.

In the end, the restrooms, installed in early 2004, had become so filthy, so overrun with drug abusers and prostitutes, that although use was free of charge, even some of the city’s most destitute people refused to step inside them.

The units were put up for sale Wednesday afternoon on eBay, with a starting bid set by the city at $89,000 apiece.

The dismal outcome coincides with plans by New York, Los Angeles and Boston, among other cities, to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for expansion this fall in their installation of automated toilets — stand-alone structures with metal doors that open at the press of a button and stay closed for up to 20 minutes. The units clean themselves after each use, disinfecting the seats and power-washing the floors.

Seattle officials say the project here failed because the toilets, which are to close on Aug. 1, were placed in neighborhoods that already had many drug users and transients. Then there was the matter of cost: $1 million apiece over five years, which because of a local ordinance had to be borne entirely by taxpayers instead of advertisers.

In Seattle, problems arose almost immediately. Users left so much trash behind that the automated floor scrubbers had to be disabled, and prostitutes and drug users found privacy behind the toilets’ locked doors.

“I’m not going to lie: I used to smoke crack in there,” said one homeless woman... “But I won’t even go inside that thing now. It’s disgusting.”

[george76]

want a $89,000 toilet?

[commonguymd]

lmao. What the heck did they expect. Dogooders are dumbarses.

[Celerity]

“stay closed up to 20 minutes” I hope it doesn’t just open to the world in the middle of a Taco reBellion.

[Piquaboy]

What the hcck is automated about these toilets?

[SengirV]

What idiot thought these would be a good idea? I at least know it was a Democrat. But then again, that’s like calling water wet. It just goes without saying.

[stuartcr]

Do like they do in other countries that have public toilets...hire someone to take care of them.

[Coffee200am]

lmbo!You know it’s bad when crack users and prostitutes won’t use the public toilets because of filth!

[Clint N. Suhks]

[jazusamo]

I think Berkley needs those $89.000 toilets, the tree sitters could come down from their roosts at night to use them and the Code Pinkos protesting the Marines could use them.

[wbill]

When the crack smokers won’t use the toilets......that’s pretty bad.

[Publius6961]

Idiot public servants have one thing in common: they think they are smarter than the common folk and they reinvent bad ideas indefinitely, until you slap them down. And hard. Like fire them and force them to take a job they can handle.

Even a functional moron can waste taxpayer money. Takes no effort whatsoever.

I wonder if any heads will roll over this idiotic idea?

I doubt it.

[Billthedrill]

$89,000 is the starting bid -

Purchasing a pre-owned APT can offer significant savings for any company, municipality or other agency considering such facilities, as the cost per unit new is approximately $500,000.

That's right, folks! The City of Seattle paid half a million buckadingdongs for a high-tech, stainless-steel crapper. I guess you could take a Sawzall to it to cut a little moon in the door if you want a mighty fine outhouse. You gotta dig yer own hole, though, and put concrete in there or it won't fit. They say they got most of the graffitti off but I'm not sure I like the look of the eelectric hand towel thingy.

Nasty.

[Daffynition]

"...so overrun with drug abusers and prostitutes, that although use was free of charge, even some of the city’s most destitute people refused to step inside them..."

Hahaha. Seattle. What did they expect?

[MarineBrat]

I wouldn’t buy these “sin cubicles”. There’s too much nasty history in them. I’m reminded of W.C. Fields saying “I don’t drink water: fish **** in it.”

[TexasCajun]

I guess all the homosexual men will now have to find another hot-spot to take their dates.

[james500]

"But given that lesser privacy, it is unclear how popular such a toilet might be, as Mr. Leonard acknowledges.

“We in the U.S. have yet to shed our puritanical roots,” he said. “We are uptight about toilets.”"

"Why, a Frenchman will sit in the middle of the sidewalk doing his business. THAT'S how progressive they are!", says Mr. Leonard as he tries to shame people into accepting his stupid public toilet design.

[james500]

If anyone is interested in seeing the eBay auctions:

http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=wcmatic&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270

[floozy22]

“I’m not going to lie: I used to smoke crack in there,” said one homeless woman... “But I won’t even go inside that thing now. It’s disgusting."

So far this is my favorite quote of the year.

[NavyCanDo]

The Seattle city council was warned this would happen, from other cities that gave them a chance. They would not listen, and who pays? The taxpayers. Whatever these go for on E-bay, the procedes should go back to the tax payers who were sold a bill of goods.