Alex Trelinski
CARTAGENA has installed its very first public pay toilet with another four set to be erected over the next few months.
The City Council aims to build up a network of 17 ‘steel-like’ public loos with the first one at the Plaza de la Lonja.
Users will be charged 50 cents to get into the booth and will get a maximum of 15 minutes inside.
An inside clock will tick down the time and an alarm will sound to signify the end of the time allocation.
The galvanised steel structure has a surface which has been described as ‘anti-graffiti’.
There’s an external screen which displays whether the toilet is free, occupied, out-of-service, or going through a self-cleaning process.
Instructions are in Spanish and English as well as in Braille.
Outside LED screens will be available for advertising and loo users can enjoy some ‘ambient’ music during their session.
Preparatory work has started for the second unit close to the taxi rank in the Plaza de España, with the next three locations being at the Plaza Cuartel del Rey, Plaza San Francisco, and Paseo Alfonso XII.
