A big surprise on our arrival in Berlin when I went to go to the toilet a stern German frau had her hand out for 50 euro cents. It took a while to get my head round the idea that it was worth 50 eu cents to pee. The excuse given is that this money is used to clean the toilet. Now this is brilliant. Along the lines of the carbon trading scheme.
Fast forward to London, today. After our bike ride, Chris and I needed to go to the loo. We observed and attended the Kensington park pubic toilets just across the road from Queensway station. Now unlike the German loo's no money required. However there was a lady in an office. Well???. Anyway this loo had four stalls. One had a sign apologising that it was closed, another had two men in it, another had a guy throwing up. leaving just one for normal people to use in the normal way. I had new found admiration for the German system.
Give something an economic edge, create a market, make it profitabe and private industry will refine and develop. And this is indeed the case with lots of very clean loo's at least in Berlin and Munic. The system falls down a bit in Austria and France where there is often a plate for you to leave money on or even a person standing to collect it but it does not seem to find its way so much into the cleaning department.
I can just imagine down the track when as a result of the loo based economic stimulus that there are so many of them that rather than paying a fixed 50cents that you end up barganing. The sell of course is in the unique situation that the longer the negotiation, the more you are likely to pay. This really is a market driven by desparation.
Fast forward to London, today. After our bike ride, Chris and I needed to go to the loo. We observed and attended the Kensington park pubic toilets just across the road from Queensway station. Now unlike the German loo's no money required. However there was a lady in an office. Well???. Anyway this loo had four stalls. One had a sign apologising that it was closed, another had two men in it, another had a guy throwing up. leaving just one for normal people to use in the normal way. I had new found admiration for the German system.
Give something an economic edge, create a market, make it profitabe and private industry will refine and develop. And this is indeed the case with lots of very clean loo's at least in Berlin and Munic. The system falls down a bit in Austria and France where there is often a plate for you to leave money on or even a person standing to collect it but it does not seem to find its way so much into the cleaning department.
I can just imagine down the track when as a result of the loo based economic stimulus that there are so many of them that rather than paying a fixed 50cents that you end up barganing. The sell of course is in the unique situation that the longer the negotiation, the more you are likely to pay. This really is a market driven by desparation.
This is very funny stuff. Frank, have you considered a career as a satirical comedy author?
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