Toilets get canning

By Tania Martin
BELGRAVE’S controversial unisex toilets have again come under fire.
Monbulk resident Maria Staszkiewicz said the two public lavatories blocks, one near Puffing Billy Station and the other in the main street were ‘unacceptable’.
She said the toilets located near Puffing Billy Station, on the corner of Old Monbulk and Bayview roads, had been designed ‘badly’.
Ms Staszkiewicz said the dividing wall between the cubicles were not high enough.
“If a lady is sitting down on the toilet and a man is in the next cubicle he can see over the top into the women’s toilet,” she said.
Ms Staszkiewicz said this was really concerning as local students would also use the toilets.
“They (the walls) are not high enough for a unisex toilet and are not socially acceptable,” she said.
She has also hit out at the toilets in the main street, which have been a problem since they were installed last year.
In September, the Mail reported residents’ claims that the toilets lacked privacy and were often dirty.
Ms Staszkiewicz said it was disgusting that the toilets were in plain sight of the street and the feet of the people using the lavatory could be seen.
She said the council had erected signs saying the toilets were a ‘crime prevention design’.
Ms Staszkiewicz said this was no excuse to have a situation where a man could see straight into a woman’s cubicle while they had their ‘pants down’.
“The design is disgusting – it’s filthy.”
Ms Staszkiewicz believes the council should install a wall in front of the toilet in the main street to block it from view and make the cubicle walls higher on both toilet blocks, but the council said this was ‘complete nonsense’.
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn said other nearby towns including Olinda and Monbulk had similar toilets, with very few complaints.
“The facts speak for themselves – families feel safer and instances of anti social behaviour have significantly reduced as a result of the design features,” Cr Dunn said.
She said an enormous amount of community consultation was also undertaken at the time.
“The community has been very understanding, especially when they are aware of the design principles behind the toilets,” Cr Dunn said.
“The public’s safety as a result of the toilets’ design is more important than whether someone’s feet can be seen.”