Scenic Spot Mobile Toilet Brand
The mobile toilet brand of the 'tide toilet' in Guangdong Huizhou West Lake Scenic Spot previously used a sign that could be manually switched to display different genders, but it has been removed due to management issues and is now planned to be replaced with a fixed slot-type doorplate.
Initial Design Purpose of the Tide Toilet Sign
Guangdong Huizhou West Lake Scenic Spot has set up 'tide toilets', with gender signs at the entrance that can be manually switched. The original intention of this design was to address the issue of long queues for women's toilets during holidays. During peak tourist seasons, the demand for women's toilets far exceeds that of men's. By adjusting some male toilet stalls to female ones, the number of female toilet stalls can be increased, effectively alleviating the pressure of long queues for women's toilets, improving the utilization efficiency of toilets in the scenic spot, and enhancing the toilet experience for tourists.
Problems Encountered During the Use of the Sign
However, this manually switchable sign has exposed numerous problems during actual use. Due to its extremely low threshold for modification, ordinary tourists can freely switch the sign, leading to confusion between male and female toilet areas. For example, an area originally designated as a male toilet may be marked as a female toilet, and female tourists entering unknowingly may cause chaos in the toilet area. More seriously, this situation may also lead to privacy breaches, causing great distress and discomfort to tourists.
Management Situation in the Scenic Spot and Subsequent Improvement Measures
The scenic spot initially claimed that the signs were operated exclusively by staff and that there were dedicated guides on site. However, a field visit by reporters revealed that the signs could still be freely switched, with no one on duty or guiding. This indicates that there are loopholes in the actual management of the scenic spot, and the initial management measures have not been effectively implemented. To address these issues, the switchable signs of the tide toilets involved have all been removed, and the scenic spot plans to replace them with fixed slot-type doorplates. Fixed slot-type doorplates can effectively prevent tourists from freely modifying the signs, ensuring clear demarcation between male and female toilet areas and safeguarding the toilet order and privacy of tourists.
