Dear Mughal,

You said:

I reckon, not many will subscribe to the idea of open-air urinals. This is akin to urinating along the secluded roads and side-lanes in Pakistan, which is a most unwelcome act, as well as the sight. One can smell the nauseating odour from a distance.

Since, money is no problem with the city of San Francisco (also called as city of flowers), it would be nice to have proper toilets in parks in San Francisco.

I partly disagree with you here. I would say public urinals are a good thing - better than nothing, and probably far cheaper to construct and to maintain than full-blown public toilets. Also, it's not a matter of "either - or" but a matter of having both: good public toilets and also good urinals at strategic points in the city.

Whether this "cement circular urinal" is so great, I have my doubts. Surely cement could start to get smelly over time? I would have thought stainless steel or ceramic or plastic would be better as a material for such street urinals.

The article says they're also doing more for public toilets:

Along with the open-air urinal, attendants are staffing 10 public toilets to encourage people to use them. They clean and restock supplies and make sure people don't use drugs or sleep inside the restrooms.

There are three Wikipedia articles dealing with this topic that are pretty good:

• Pissoir: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pissoir (I would suggest to rename this from "pissoir" to "street urinal")
• Urinal: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinal
• Public toilet: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_toilet

Regards,
Elisabeth

According to a recent post in Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ope...-20160128-story.html), San Francisco's iconic Dolores Park is now home to the city's first open-air urinal, the latest move to combat public urination. The cement circular urinal is out in the open, though plants and a screen offer some privacy. It's a welcome addition for the park that had just three toilets, which led many to relieve themselves in bushes and on buildings.

The post says:

San Francisco has a long, sometimes creative, history of dealing with public urination. In 2002, the city increased the fine for the crime up to $500, but that did little to deter it.

Last summer, the city painted close to 30 walls with a repellant that makes urine spray back on the offender, San Francisco Public Works spokeswoman Rachel Gordon said.

Solar-powered toilets roll through city streets several afternoons a week. And city crews have inspected 10,000 light posts to make sure they won't fall over from erosion after a three-story-tall light corroded by a likely mix of human and dog urine, and weighted down by a large banner, toppled.

Dolores Park has seen an exponential increase in the number of visitors. On a sunny Saturday, it can host between 7,000 and 10,000 people. One of the goals of the renovation was to address the littering and public urination issues that were rampant at the park before the renovation.

Along with the open-air urinal, attendants are staffing 10 public toilets to encourage people to use them. They clean and restock supplies and make sure people don't use drugs or sleep inside the restrooms.

I reckon, not many will subscribe to the idea of open-air urinals. This is akin to urinating along the secluded roads and side-lanes in Pakistan, which is a most unwelcome act, as well as the sight. One can smell the nauseating odour from a distance.

Since, money is no problem with the city of San Francisco (also called as city of flowers), it would be nice to have proper toilets in parks in San Francisco.

F H Mughal