state-of-the-art-toilets for kl...

certaintly an interesting concept, but not sure whether is it long lasting and feasible, as the current vandalism like wat some people do to the public telephone booths, public toilets, bus stops, etc!...

btw, anyone knows whether the government purchase it fm gbh bhd and/or gbh bhd deals directly with the users?!?...

if the government purchased it... i wonder how much one unit of this state-of-the-art-toilet cost, as far as i can read there's no mention of the price at all tho!...







State-of-the-art toilets for KL

By FOONG PEK YEE

PAYING RM1 to use an air-conditioned fully-automated street toilet (AST) for 15 minutes is set to be a new experience for Malaysians and tourists soon.

Twenty of the hi-tech toilets made by GBH Bhd will be placed at various parts of Kuala Lumpur soon, two of them in the Jalan Bukit Bintang area by the end of this month.

The automatic street toilet measures 2.25m x 6.2m and is 2.6m high and weighs about 3.5 tonnes.

Users will need to slot in coins, amounting to RM1, to use the toilet.

However, users should take note that the automatic door will open by itself once the 15 minutes are up.

GBH group general manager Tan Ah Cheun said a pre-recorded verbal warning would be given at the 14th minute.

“Any user who needs to stay longer than 15 minutes will have to come out of the cubicle and pay another RM1, provided there are no users waiting to get in.

“Otherwise, common courtesy will need to prevail and it might be a matter of who needs it more urgently,” said Tan.

He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall has ordered 20 units of the AST and the first two would be located at the Jalan Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur.

Tan said the sitting pan has an automatic seat cleaner that would wash, scrub and dry the pan after every use.

The same cleansing will be applied to the squatting pan while the floor of the entire toilet would be automatically washed after every five users.

Each cubicle comes with a seated toilet and a squat toilet and is also disabled friendly and big enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

Users with children up to six years old could enter the cubicle at the same time, said Tan, adding that the cubicle also included a baby nappy changing station and a juvenile waiting seat with a strap-on seat belt.

Tan said GBH has recommended to the authorities that every AST be manned by a janitor.

“Each cubicle is equipped with an emer- gency button and the user will be able to communicate with the janitor upon activating the button.

“Every assistance, including opening the door from the outside, will then be provided,” explained Tan.

He said GBH has recommended that the standard operating hours for each AST to be between 7.30am and 11.30pm with provisions for extension.

However, users should take note that the automatic door will open by itself once the 15 minutes are up.

GBH group general manager Tan Ah Cheun said a pre-recorded verbal warning would be given at the 14th minute.

“Any user who needs to stay longer than 15 minutes will have to come out of the cubicle and pay another RM1, provided there are no users waiting to get in.

“Otherwise, common courtesy will need to prevail and it might be a matter of who needs it more urgently,” said Tan.

He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall has ordered 20 units of the AST and the first two would be located at the Jalan Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur.

Tan said the sitting pan has an automatic seat cleaner that would wash, scrub and dry the pan after every use.

The same cleansing will be applied to the squatting pan while the floor of the entire toilet would be automatically washed after every five users.

Each cubicle comes with a seated toilet and a squat toilet and is also disabled friendly and big enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

Users with children up to six years old could enter the cubicle at the same time, said Tan, adding that the cubicle also included a baby nappy changing station and a juvenile waiting seat with a strap-on seat belt.

Tan said GBH has recommended to the authorities that every AST be manned by a janitor.

“Each cubicle is equipped with an emer- gency button and the user will be able to communicate with the janitor upon activating the button.

“Every assistance, including opening the door from the outside, will then be provided,” explained Tan.

He said GBH has recommended that the standard operating hours for each AST to be between 7.30am and 11.30pm with provisions for extension.


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/23/central/15196086&sec=central




RM500,000 for each smart toilet
05 Sep 2006
By Minderjeet Kaur

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KUALA LUMPUR: Half a million ringgit for a public toilet?

That is how much City Hall Kuala Lumpur is expected to spend on each of the 20 smart toilets to be placed throughout the city.

A City Hall official said about RM10 million had been allocated to place the hi-tech, self-cleaning toilets in busy areas.

"The allocation is part of City Hall’s move to upgrade the capital’s image for next year’s Visit Malaysia Year," he said.

Each smart toilet will have two cubicles.

The smart toilet apparently will come with an automatic seat cleaner capable of washing, scrubbing and drying the seat after every use.

The high cost of the toilets is also due to its ability to wash the entire toilet floor after every five users, the official said.

Additional cost is also attributed to the toilet’s capability to signal a warning after 14 minutes to those using the toilet.

Every user is allowed 15 minutes after which the automatic door will open by itself and users will have to slot in additional coins into the machine.

Users will be charged RM1 each time to use the toilets measuring 2.25m x 5.25m, with a height of 3.25m. So far, two smart toilets have been placed in the Bukit Bintang area.

A project manager involved in the sanitation and construction industry said that similar toilets were available in European countries.

"Each smart toilet, if converted from pound sterling to ringgit, would cost about RM120,000. And if the toilets were assembled locally than the price should be about RM200,000," he said.

While the smart toilet costs City Hall RM500,000 each, the project manager said a basic four-cubicle toilet with two urinals and two wash basins usually costs between RM50,000 and RM60,000.

In England, he said, users were charged £1 to use the smart toilets.

"I totally agree that the smart toilets will lift the image of public toilets. But it should not cost so much," the manager added.

Meanwhile, Datuk Bandar Datuk Ruslin Hasan declined to comment on the cost and the features of the toilet.

Ruslin added that he would call for a Press conference on Thursday to make an official announcement.




Thumbs down for move

KUALA LUMPUR: City Hall should spend its money wisely instead of flushing it down the drain.

The money that is being spent on installing the smart toilets costing RM500,000 each could be better spent on other projects which would benefit city folk.

Several politicians said it would be better to educate the public on good toilet habits.

Bukit Bintang Umno head Datuk Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi said the toilet habits of many Malaysians were still below par compared with those in developed countries.

"Spending half a million ringgit on each toilet is too much. We can have the best toilets but if the attitude of the people does not change, it is a waste of money."

Azim said the smart toilets were successfully implemented in developed countries as the people in those countries had good toilet habits to begin with.

He added that instead of spending taxpayers’ money on smart toilets, City Hall should encourage the private sector to take up the project.
"The private sector could recover their investment by charging a fee for the use of the toilets."

Federal Territory MCA chief Datuk Tan Chai Ho said it was not necessary for City Hall to spend so much on public toilets.

"They could have built basic toilets and have people maintaining them regularly. What the public wants is clean toilets," he said, adding that the smart toilets might not last long due to the public’s poor toilet habits.

People’s Progressive Party Federal Territory chief A. Chandrakumaran, said the money should be channelled for the benefit of city folk.

"City Hall should create job opportunities for jobless city folk. There are still a lot of people who are jobless and the automated toilets are not going to help create jobs," he said.


http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Tuesday/National/20060905074525/Article/local1_html