Peeved Parisians
Source: cyril mazarin on Unsplash
The very public 'pissoirs' that are even too much for Paris: Environmentally friendly urinals ‘incite exhibitionism’, say locals
- Public eco-friendly urinals on Paris streets are causing uproar among residents
- The 'urinoirs' disguised as flower-boxes are cropping up in chic neighbourhoods
- A tourist hot spot in Île Saint-Louis by the Seine has become a hotbed for protests
Public street-facing urinals are causing a stir along pavements across Paris, with urinals disguised as flower-boxes and cropping up in some of the city's more glamorous quarters.One eco-friendly 'urinoir' deemed to be particularly offensive is painted in letterbox red and topped with a flower-box in the chic neighbourhood of Île Saint-Louis, just a stones throw from Notre Dame.
Local shopkeepers and residents in the tourist hot spot are protesting for the 'immodest and ugly' urinal's removal and fear the city 'is making itself ridiculous'.
'There's no need to put something so immodest and ugly in such a historic spot,' said Paola Pellizzari, 68, owner of a Venetian art store.
'It's beside the most beautiful townhouse on the island, the Hotel de Lauzun, where Baudelaire lived,' she said, referring to the 19th-century French poet.
She feared the urinal, installed around 22 yards from a primary school, 'incites exhibitionism'.
Ile Saint-Louis locals said the receptacle, with no stall around it of any kind, could blight their ultra-chic neighbourhood.
'It's horrible,' said the 50-year-old owner of a nearby art gallery, who declined to give his name.
'We're told we have to accept this but this is absolutely unacceptable. It's destroying the legacy of the island. Can't people behave?'
'People urinating on the streets of France is a serious problem and we knew there was a demand for a solution, so we've come up with one,' Victor Massip, the inventor of the red flower-box model said.
'Uritrottoir' is a combination of the French words for urinal and pavement and is said to offer an 'eco solution to public peeing'.
The device is essentially a box with an opening in the front and a floral display on top, containing straw which transforms into compost for use in parks and gardens.
The manufacturer, the Faltazi design agency, says it 'stores urine in a bed of dry material, straw, which is then used as compost for the flowers'.
The straw reduces odour and eliminates the need for the urinal to be connected to the sewer.
Local mayor Ariel Weil has insisted the devices were necessary and Paris authorities have rolled out four more of the stand-up urinals in places where public peeing has been a problem.
A fifth is planned for next week.
'If we don't do anything, then men are just going to pee in the streets,' Mr Weil said.
'If it is really bothering people, we will find another location.'
Some have even branded their installation discriminatory.
'They have been installed on a sexist proposition: men cannot control themselves (from the bladder point of view) and so all of society has to adapt,' said Gwendoline Coipeault of French feminist group Femmes Solidaires.
'The public space must be transformed to cause them minimum discomfort.' 'It's absurd, no one needs to urinate in the street.'
Click on the title to see pictures and a video of the urinals in question.
What is your opinion on them? Do you think Madrid needs them?
On your travels, have you seen anything curious that caught your attention?
What is your opinion on them? Do you think Madrid needs them?
On your travels, have you seen anything curious that caught your attention?
Peeved has nothing to do with pee. It describes someone who is particularly annoyed. (= picado)
Here are some pee-related expressions:
Can you tell me where the toilets are? (more UK)
Where's the restroom, please? (US)
I need the loo. (UK, = toilet)
I have to spend a penny. (UK = I need to pee)
I need to take a leak.
I am bursting. (= I really need to pee / me estoy meando)
Mummy, I need a wee-wee. (= necesito hacer pipí)
Piss off! (slang, vulgar = ¡vete a la mierda / largate!)
My boss really pissed me off today. (slang, vulgar = made me angry = tocar los huevos)
I got really pissed at the weekend. I must have had ten pints. (slang = coger un pedo)
Comments
I´m laughing my head off seeing what the French have to do. The refined and educated French, especially from Paris, see that eco-friendly urinals have invaded the streets where Victor Hugo, Baudelaire and Verlaine walked in the past. Paris is not a star already. They have stained historic spots which were the shine of the world.
In my opinion, this is a bad solution. I think that children and seniors are who can´t avoid peeing, but the rest yes. What is more, who pee in the streets of Paris are the young. Then, I wonder, have residents, tourists and everyone to suffer and put up with dirty young people who pee in streets? Not. This is not way. There are rules which everyone has to observe them. Society stablishes laws to everyone obeys them and if anybody doesn´t obey will be punished. If people don´t pay taxes, do you think that the government should eliminate the taxes? Would be it normal?
The problem is that it is easier to be good cop than bad cop and the politician don´t want to be responsible. They don´t want that people will say that they are applying a gag law. They prefer a big smile and to act policy.
See you.
I own up to peeing on the street on the odd occasion. Well, it was usually on a night out and I had had one too many.
I actually quite like these new urinals they have in Paris.
I´m laughing my head off seeing what the French have to do. The refined and educated French, especially from Paris, see that eco-friendly urinals have invaded the streets where Victor Hugo, Baudelaire and Verlaine walked in the past. Paris is not a star now. They have stained historic spots which were the envy of the world.
In my opinion, this is a bad solution. I think that children and seniors are the ones who can´t help peeing, but the rest can. What is more, those who pee in the streets of Paris are the young. Then, I wonder, do residents, tourists and everyone else have to suffer and put up with dirty young people who pee in streets? No. This is not the way. There are rules which everyone has to observe. Society establishes laws for everyone to obey and if anybody doesn´t obey them, they will be punished. If people don´t pay taxes, do you think that the government should eliminate the taxes? Would it be normal?
The problem is that it is easier to be a good cop than a bad cop and politicians don't want to take responisbility. They don´t want people to say that they are applying a gag law. They prefer a big smile and to enact policies.