Semi-closure for Superloo
1 September 2016
Visitors looking to spend a penny in Cambridge are about to find that the best things in life are free.
Soon visitors and locals will be able to use all of Cambridge's public toilets at no charge, following the semi-closure in October of Cambridge's much lauded Superloo.
For the last two decades, the Superloo in Victoria Square has been a popular stop. It has averaged around 67,000 visitors a year for the last four years; that's 183 people per day paying 50 cents each for a comfort stop.
But despite Cambridge getting busier and busier trips to the Superloo have drained away. Now only around 83 people per day pay to sit upon Cambridge's ivory thrones, reducing Waipa District Council's Superloo revenue stream to a mere trickle. Only two people per day use the paid shower on site, mainly campers or back-packers.
The drop in custom has left the loos largely lifeless, despite having the capacity for 300 visits per hour. After a discussion with the Cambridge Community Board, the council has now opted to semi-close the Superloo. That will mean around $69,000 less each year going down the drain in servicing and maintenance costs.
Parks team leader Max Ward has rushed to reassure Your Cambridge News that those needing to go won't be caught short. The council would be leaving two toilets at the Superloo open and accessible at no charge, 24-hours a day, he said. Those toilets will be serviced along with the other free public toilets in town while council mulls over the next steps including potential uses for the Superloo building.
"We've had some interesting suggestions, including turning it into a retail space or converting it into Cambridge's very own Oval Office or Superbowl," Max said.
"But for the time being, we'll keep our options open and reserve the right to re-open the Superloo for special events when the town is full and people simply have to go."
For more information, contact: Jeanette Tyrrell 027 5077 599