Houston – we have an urgent toilet problem!

Consider what I’m about to say as coming from the ‘enough is enough’ file. I’m certain many must feel exactly the same way I do on the matter.

It seems that public toilets in Orange are going to be an ongoing issue of controversy for quite some time yet, that is unless we as a community, do something to fix the problem very soon.

You wouldn’t think something as basic as having easily accessible public toilets in a place like Orange would be so difficult to deal with.

Put very simply, public toilet facilities in Orange are absolute crap! Now in saying that, I’m not talking so much about the needs or expectations of Orange locals, but about those who are travellers or visitors. Surely, and I mean SURELY, someone who’s travelling and drives into Orange, should reasonably be able to expect to find a public toilet without much trouble. You would think it would be an absolute basic for a City like Orange, in fact a priority.

Well it’s not and it’s a disgrace!

There’s all manner of reasons why Orange should have clearly visible and sign posted public toilets on the approaches to town, or at the very least in a place along the main drive where travellers can easily find them and pull over for a quick comfort stop. I’m not going to go into all the reasons but two stand out, one being that travellers would simply expect it and two, not having them may well be costing Orange businesses lost trade.

I feel that one of the reasons we find ourselves in this totally unacceptable situation, is that the powers that be haven’t thought it fully through, or simply haven’t put themselves in the shoes of the people on the other side of the fence so to speak. Yes, we have lots of public toilets and yes, locals know where to find them but a visitor? I think not.

Coming from the west, how would drivers know there were toilets in Cook Park, or up the corridor near the Essential Ingredient, or in the carpark behind Woolworths, or down McNamara Lane or across near the Library in the Visitors Centre precinct? Coming from the East, how would they know to look where the driver reviver shed is near the Homemaker’s Centre. If they happened to find their way into the Homemaker’s Centre, they’d be disappointed there too. What appears to be public toilets there are locked to the general public.

Then to rub insult into injury, if they do happen to find one, what a shock it must be, especially if they’re confronted with an almost porta-loo type experience such as in McNamara Lane or up at the driver reviver site.

No matter how you look at Orange’s public toilet network, it’s an embarrassment and a joke.

Time our Councillors got their act together and did something about it! If you agree with me that ‘enough is enough’ with regard to our City’s toilet debacle, and I don’t just mean in Robertson Park, feel free to raise the matter with our Councillors.

Note: I’ve written this with our Put Orange First Project top of mind.