Lack of privacy at the female urinals installed on the Plaine in Marseille

Of them pink colored plastic blocks in the shape of a ship’s propeller were installed at the beginning of May on the Plaine in Marseille. If they intrigue passers-by, the smell of urine quickly gives them an indication of their usefulness. Those are female urinals. There are six near Place Jean Jaurès in Marseille. Julie, 46, is intrigued.

She approaches, climbs the two small steps and squats on the pot. “It’s friendly. I feel in the middle of the Plain. It’s not very intimate.” The private parts are not visible to everyone. But the head protrudes and the knees too.

A lack of privacy

This lack of privacy is deplored by other passers-by. Josépha, a saleswoman at the Plaine market, also tries the urinal. “If I go up, everyone sees that I’m going to pee. If I sit down, people see me. It’s not for adults, it’s for children.” Or even Emmanuelle, a passer-by: “I am not tempted. I’d rather go to a bar or wait.”

People are not naked in the street either, assures Christine Juste, deputy in charge of the environment and the fight against pollution at the town hall of Marseille. “You’re not in plain sight. People need to approach. The difference between a normal toilet and these urinals is that you’re standing there and you don’t have to undress.”

In addition, these mobile toilets could compensate for the lack of public toilets in the city defends the elected: “It’s part of a global reflection on this festive space and its nocturnal population.” These female urinals are being tested until October on the Plain. If the returns are conclusive, they could be reused during big events that attract people like during the Rugby World Cup matches in Marseille next year.