“I think the concept of helping out is great.”
How does it work? The application geolocates the user and directs them to partner businesses, identifiable by a purple sticker on their window. In exchange for 100 euros of compensation per month, they agree to make their toilets available. The different locations, including existing public toilets, are listed on an interactive map according to the services offered: accessibility for people with disabilities, changing table and provision of sanitary protection, provided by Ici Toilettes and delivered by bike by the Croix-Rouge Insertion.
“A service rendered to the population”
This is what convinced Anastasia Sales, manager of the Le François-I breweryerPlace Louvel. “All the staff are female, except for the cook,” she says. “I think the concept of helping out is great. We all know that it can sometimes be very useful.” She didn’t wait for the application to open the doors of her conveniences to the outside: “The court brings in a lot of traffic. We were already offering this service free of charge.” Isn’t she afraid that it will be a parade? “If that’s the case, I will reduce the hours of accessibility. During the Remparts, my customers are already queuing, I’m not going to add to it.” The owner assures that she does not see this new feature as a way to attract more people to her bar.
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Pascal Pallu, co-manager of 110, place Saint-Pierre, does not say otherwise: “It’s more of a service that we provide to the population, even if 100 euros per month, I consider that it’s a fair reward”. The cathedral, opposite his bar, attracts many passers-by looking for toilets. “Some pass in front of us without hello, goodbye or thank you”, deplores the shopkeeper who does not refrain from refusing an impolite person. Just like Guy Bertin, behind the counter of his café, Le Rex, place Victor-Hugo. “Often, people take the opportunity to have a coffee, sometimes not. It all depends on how it is asked…”
There are public toilets a few steps away, on Place Delivertoux, but they are regularly damaged, leading to temporary closures, such as this Tuesday morning (see box).
Addressing the deficiencies at a lower cost is one of the city hall’s objectives: “There is a lack of public toilets in the city center,” acknowledges Guillaume Chupin, deputy for daily life. Installing a block costs between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.” Much more expensive than the annual €6,000 that will be paid to the five partner merchants via the app.
“It feels like we’re replacing what the city should be doing.”
The elected official adds that “the female public feels safer going to shopkeepers’ toilets”. According to Thomas Herquin, CEO of Ici Toilettes, “75%” of them shun public toilets. The manager puts forward two other arguments. The first is ecological: “Flushing the toilet consumes an average of six litres of water compared to 17 litres per use in an automatic cabin”. The second is financial: “The partners have seen an effect on their turnover: when someone comes to the toilet for free, they often come back for a drink”.
A speech that did not convince all the shopkeepers: half of the owners approached declined or did not follow up, according to Ici Toiliettes. “We could hope that the City would build additional toilets,” comments Pierre Allory, owner of Blues Rock. “We have the impression of replacing what it should be doing. That is not our role.”
In addition to the lack of partners, there are a few bugs in the application. For example: when you are in Frégeneuil, the application sends you to Place Mulac even though the park has public toilets. In Bourgine, the application directs you to the toilets of the old swimming pool even though they are not accessible.
Public toilets: the big lottery
The city of Angoulême has 11 public toilets. The problem is that not all of them are open, like those located on Place Delivertoux, as CL noted on Tuesday, September 17 at 9:30 a.m. The same goes for Place Mulac. These closures are “temporary due to damage caused by malicious people,” according to Guillaume Chupin, elected official for daily life. With the exception of the toilets located in L’Houmeau, Les Halles, the Angoulême museum and the Hôtel de ville, all those visited by CL on Tuesday between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. were in an advanced state of filth despite the efforts of municipal agents. One of them confided: “We find everything, empty cans, syringes, excrement…”
