pPod: Dolores Park's Newly Proposed Place to Piss

Dolores Park picnickers without a pot to piss in will soon have a pod to piss in.  Or something.  Anyway, it's called the “pPod” (or, as we prefer to call it, “The Masturbation Station”) and city officials hope to include it in next year's renovation of Dolores Park.

The thinking is the European-style pissoir will help curb all the public urination that happens on warm days in the park, when everyone balloons up on warm Tecate and elects to wash down the Muni tracks instead of wait in the 20+ minute bathroom lines.

According to SocketSite, which seems to fancy itself as the number one source for piss press, “The pissoir would have a front and back semi-circle screen consisting of specialized wire fencing covered with vines a three-foot diameter concrete base and a sanitary drain with a fine mesh grate. A user would enter the pissoir from the existing north-south internal pathway and face the interior of the Park.”  There will also be a one-way drain to prevent it from smelling, poles to prevent the inevitable drunken popping of squatting, and no sink for the hands you weren't going to wash anyway.

Of course, while we're sure most reasonable people think this is a fine development for the park, it seems “plugged in” park neighbors are already voicing their criticisms in SocketSite's comments.  As one proclaims, “I live right across the street from this proposed 'pPod' and fear that this will cause a lot more problems down the road with odor, nudity, and the list can go on (none of it is positive). How do we avoid this from getting installed? I want to prevent my neighborhood from becoming like the Tenderloin.”  Or, as another puts it, “The very idea of a pissoir seems sexist.”

Given the mounting opposition, we're sure it'll be another 18-36 months of lengthy community meetings before this titular homage to Steve Jobs is installed.

[SocketSite]

Comments (15)

How can someone be against people defecating on the street AND be against public restrooms? Do they expect people to hold it forever?

EXACTLY! It’s insane. Logically, you can EITHER be against public restrooms OR be against people pissing and shitting on the street. If you’re against people pissing and shitting in the street, then, logically, a toilet must be provided for them to use instead.

No, they want don’t want the readers of this blog to come to their park. That is option number 3.

They are wrong, selfish, detestable people, but those are the options that they see.

just one? seems like it still won’t relieve (pun intended) the line/wait situation. i expect some dudes will use this, some will use the new restrooms, and some will continue to use the tracks. convenience/speed is everything.

“The very idea of a pissoir seems sexist” vis-a-vis Dolo may be the most San Franciscan quote I’ve ever read on a computer screen.

this will get shat in quick like

It will be clogged with shit and garbage so fast.

I didnt know about these, but why do you guys think they will be clogged more than ones in use in Europe? Is the the people? or the different diet of more red meat cause bigger bowel movements? or what reasoning?

Americans don’t know how these things are supposed to work. Not like the Euro-peein’s.

Bad, but made me laugh.

This is a great idea. I’ve used them in Amsterdam and elsewhere and it prevented me from pissing in canals at night. There are some more elaborate ones than the one illustrated, too.

My front door is twenty feet from Dolores Park and I welcome this idea. It’s about time.

I like how they carefully point out that in the drawing that the grate blocks solids. So we can be sure that there will always be a lovely pile of solids to admire while you piss in one of these.

Someone should hack the grate so it’s spring loaded. When a solid of reasonable weight hits it, the load flies back up in the user’s ass.

I’ve used those in Europe as well. I especially like the porta-john version they use at festivals.