Public outdoor urinals were to be trialled near Canberra's late-night hot spots as of Thursday night after a business lobby group became fed up with men weeing in laneways and on shopfronts.
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And Canberra CBD Limited chief executive Jane Easthope believes the rest of the community is also disgusted with laneways and other public spaces being used as toilets.
Fines have been issued to 277 people in the past year for urinating in public in the ACT - 228 of them in the CBD area, according to ACT Policing. The fine is $200.
The urinals - which allow four men to urinate at the one time - will be placed at Verity Lane (behind Moosehead's pub on the median strip), at the bus interchange on the corner of Alinga Street and Verity Lane, and on City Walk near the corner of Saraton Lane.
The trial is financed by Canberra CBD Limited from Thursday night to Monday morning over the next three weeks. The urinals will be put in place after 7pm and removed by 7am.
Ms Easthope said the trial was about ''providing data'' - meaning the volume of urine collected would give an idea of how well the urinals are being used and whether they should be a permanent addition to the city.
''You can't automatically assume that umpteen litres of urine are going to find their way on to building facades and laneways if these things weren't there because people may well choose to use them rather than hang on to the next venue,'' she said. ''But it's to raise awareness that laneways really aren't good places to urinate.
''Canberra CBD Limited is supporting this because we're in the business of a clean and safe city and it's an attempt to heighten awareness and make some behaviour changes.''
Ms Easthope said letting people urinate in laneways could lead to other anti-social behaviour such as vomiting and more serious behaviour such as indecent exposure, assault and sexual assault. It was about enforcing some standards of safety and cleanliness.
''Once you say that's OK in Verity and Odgers lanes and so on, other things happen there that are equally as nasty. Those laneways are an integral part of the city and should be treated as such,'' she said. ''We are saying we are a city centre and we don't want to tolerate that sort of behaviour. It's about reclaiming public space for the community.''
Ms Easthope said the urinals were ''essentially a port-a-loo for blokes'' and would be emptied and maintained by Kros Urinals.
She said the trial might provide information that could lead to lobbying the ACT government for permanent public toilets. ''But only if there's a need for it,'' she said.
Youth Coalition of the ACT director Emma Robertson said Champions ACT will be spreading the word of the trial as the urinals encourage young people in Canberra to help keep their friends safer when drinking.
"The urinal trial will be a good resource for young people looking out for friends and encouraging responsible behaviour to have a better night out," she said.
