Somewhere to Go, Readings famous Pop up toilet

Need a place to go, but theres no toilet? Here is an answer for councils to relieve the problem of revelers. The UriLift, a stainless steel cylinder that rises from the ground in two minutes and disappears just as quickly, already has been well-received in Reading and will be arriving at two London hotspots later.

Fame at last.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A740765
The UriLift was designed to solve the ever increasing problem of being caught short1 at night and not having anywhere to go, and so using side alleys or building to "go" on. Marco Schimmel, a Dutch toilet designer who has successfully fitted the toilets in 8 Dutch cities, came up with a high-tech answer to the problem; the pop-up loo. The toilet is a stainless steel urinal that, during the day, fits in a 1.3 metre deep hole beneath the pavement and is as conspicuous as any other manhole. At night on the operation of its remote control, it rises hydraulically to become an easily visible urinal. Then at around 6am it goes back down, out of site.

There is room for three men to use the sleek device at the same time, and it is lighted, though there are no doors. So not for the shy! Or for women (they would have to be desperate!).

The UriLift, with its automatic flushing, is connected to sewage mains for disposal of urine and flush water. No one has to empty those temporary plastic urinals that some towns employ outside bars. And best of all, according to a spokeswoman for the UK's UriLift distributor, the semi-permanent urinal is pretty much invincible when challenged by the party animal who's had one too many. "The beauty of UriLift is that it is so simple that there is nothing they can break off of it," said spokeswoman Lisa Parish, noting that hooligans can hit it or kick it all they like.
For the time being, women must hold it in a little longer. A prototype for females is not yet ready. Actually women could use those cardboard things they sometimes get at festivals, see www.pmate.co.uk

UriLifts, costing about $30,000 a piece and endorsed by the British Toilet Association, have been popping up at night in two locations around Reading.

At an April 25 ceremony in Reading Town Centre, Schimmel activated the first UriLift by remote as Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra," the title music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, rang out. A second one began operating in May.


I never thought I'd quote the right wing fox news, but they cover the toilets here,
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63048,00.html

Apparently theres also an entry in 'Temples of Convenience And Chambers of Delight' by Lucinda Lambton.