There isn't another city on the earth where more people piss in the street than my home town of San Francisco.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-San-Francisco-drenched-in-urine-4658210.php
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-San-Francisco-drenched-in-urine-4658210.php
On the up side: No tinea / athlete's foot.
On the down side: Urine on the street.
(Note: couldn't read article without subscription)
Quote
By Vivian Ho
July 11, 2013
It's a whiff as familiar to San Francisco as marijuana in a park on a nice day.
From the UN Plaza to the Mission District, Market Street to Polk, the Tenderloin to the Haight, San Franciscans are forced to navigate the nose-wrinkling, dry-heaving olfactory land mines of urine-splattered sidewalks on a daily basis.
The Board of Supervisors passed legislation banning public urination in 2002, but fresh yellow puddles on the pavement say the culprits prefer to answer the law of nature over the law of the city.
It's up to the police to enforce the public urination ban, which is punishable with a citation ranging anywhere from $50 to $500.
But quality-of-life infractions like public urination require that police officers see the crime happening in order to issue a citation, said police spokesman Sgt. Dennis Toomer - a serious limitation when it comes to enforcement.
Video won't cut it, nor will eyewitness complaints. Toomer said he doesn't know how many citations police issue a year.
"We know it's a problem and we're out there - our foot beats and our mobile patrol units - we're out there trying to enforce these kinds of violations," he said. "When we do spot something, we take action on it, but we have limitations. We're trying our best."
The constant acrid stench all over the city says the citations aren't much of a deterrent. Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, the Department of Public Works received 5,636 requests for steam-cleaning sidewalk service, the majority of which were for human waste, said spokeswoman Rachel Gordon.
Although care of sidewalks falls to property owners, the Department of Public Works will provide steam cleanings when requested by private property owners because public urination and defecation is a public health issue, Gordon said.
Paul Chinn, The Chronicle
Stephen Lee from the Department of Public Works sprays a disinfectant before steam cleaning a sidewalk on Jessie Street near Sixth Street in S.F., an area that produces the most requests for sidewalk cleaning.
More than 3,000 of the requests over the past six months were concentrated in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, with the Mission District following with 1,251 requests and 513 requests coming out of the northern neighborhoods of Chinatown, North Beach and the Marina.
Gordon said anyone with a problem sidewalk should call 311, and the department will send workers out within 48 hours.
As most things go in San Francisco, the 2002 ban on public urination didn't go through without a fight. A big issue with the ban was that there weren't enough public restrooms in the city.
But others also argued that some people will continue to urinate outside, no matter what's available. "We know it's a stinky problem for the city," Gordon said. "No one likes it. It's not good for the residents, the tourists or the people who work here. Unfortunately, it's a part of urban living that people will relieve themselves in less than ideal places."
What's not working
Issue: Sidewalks all over San Francisco reek because people urinate on them.
What's been done: The Board of Supervisors passed a law banning public urination in 2002, but officers can only issue citations for the offense if they catch the person in the act. As for cleaning, private property owners are responsible for the sidewalks in front of their buildings, but the Department of Public Works offers steam cleaning upon request.
Who's responsible: Police Chief Greg Suhr - (415) 553-1551, [email protected]
Chronicle Watch
If you know of something that needs to be improved, the Chronicle Watch team wants to hear from you. E-mail your issue to chroniclewatch@ sfchronicle.com, or reach us on Twitter at@sfchronwatch and facebook.com/ sfchronwatch.
Vivian Ho writes for Chronicle Watch, a weekly feature that investigates stubborn problems. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @VivianHo, @SFChronWatch
July 11, 2013
It's a whiff as familiar to San Francisco as marijuana in a park on a nice day.
From the UN Plaza to the Mission District, Market Street to Polk, the Tenderloin to the Haight, San Franciscans are forced to navigate the nose-wrinkling, dry-heaving olfactory land mines of urine-splattered sidewalks on a daily basis.
The Board of Supervisors passed legislation banning public urination in 2002, but fresh yellow puddles on the pavement say the culprits prefer to answer the law of nature over the law of the city.
It's up to the police to enforce the public urination ban, which is punishable with a citation ranging anywhere from $50 to $500.
But quality-of-life infractions like public urination require that police officers see the crime happening in order to issue a citation, said police spokesman Sgt. Dennis Toomer - a serious limitation when it comes to enforcement.
Video won't cut it, nor will eyewitness complaints. Toomer said he doesn't know how many citations police issue a year.
"We know it's a problem and we're out there - our foot beats and our mobile patrol units - we're out there trying to enforce these kinds of violations," he said. "When we do spot something, we take action on it, but we have limitations. We're trying our best."
The constant acrid stench all over the city says the citations aren't much of a deterrent. Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, the Department of Public Works received 5,636 requests for steam-cleaning sidewalk service, the majority of which were for human waste, said spokeswoman Rachel Gordon.
Although care of sidewalks falls to property owners, the Department of Public Works will provide steam cleanings when requested by private property owners because public urination and defecation is a public health issue, Gordon said.
Paul Chinn, The Chronicle
Stephen Lee from the Department of Public Works sprays a disinfectant before steam cleaning a sidewalk on Jessie Street near Sixth Street in S.F., an area that produces the most requests for sidewalk cleaning.
More than 3,000 of the requests over the past six months were concentrated in the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, with the Mission District following with 1,251 requests and 513 requests coming out of the northern neighborhoods of Chinatown, North Beach and the Marina.
Gordon said anyone with a problem sidewalk should call 311, and the department will send workers out within 48 hours.
As most things go in San Francisco, the 2002 ban on public urination didn't go through without a fight. A big issue with the ban was that there weren't enough public restrooms in the city.
But others also argued that some people will continue to urinate outside, no matter what's available. "We know it's a stinky problem for the city," Gordon said. "No one likes it. It's not good for the residents, the tourists or the people who work here. Unfortunately, it's a part of urban living that people will relieve themselves in less than ideal places."
What's not working
Issue: Sidewalks all over San Francisco reek because people urinate on them.
What's been done: The Board of Supervisors passed a law banning public urination in 2002, but officers can only issue citations for the offense if they catch the person in the act. As for cleaning, private property owners are responsible for the sidewalks in front of their buildings, but the Department of Public Works offers steam cleaning upon request.
Who's responsible: Police Chief Greg Suhr - (415) 553-1551, [email protected]
Chronicle Watch
If you know of something that needs to be improved, the Chronicle Watch team wants to hear from you. E-mail your issue to chroniclewatch@ sfchronicle.com, or reach us on Twitter at@sfchronwatch and facebook.com/ sfchronwatch.
Vivian Ho writes for Chronicle Watch, a weekly feature that investigates stubborn problems. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @VivianHo, @SFChronWatch
If you don't mind getting malaria a few times a year and having no AC (electrical system there can't handle the load) then go for it. I'd recommend Central America or Thailand as better alternatives from a 'comforts' point of view.
