Russia (bbabo.net), - From January 1, 2022, visits to public toilets in the Northern capital, run by the city Vodokanal, will become free.

According to the Smolny Committee for Energy and Engineering Support, there are 214 such stationary toilets in St. Petersburg - 125 modular and 291 mobile. Now the fee for visiting them is 30 rubles. But from the beginning of the year, the fee will be canceled, and Vodokanal will begin to receive compensation from the city. The amount of subsidies is not disclosed. But, as they say in "Vodokanal", now the funds that the company receives from citizens cover only a small part of the costs.

Most of the toilets are located in the historic center of St. Petersburg. In addition, for people with disabilities, 17 mobile sanitary and hygienic complexes (PSGK) on the basis of MAZ buses are equipped with special entrances for wheelchair users. For people with limited mobility, there are also 10 modular toilets for installation in gardens and parks. Finally, 10 mobile toilets are on display during city events.

The cancellation of payment applies only to those toilets that are managed by Vodokanal, and this company is not at all a monopolist in the market. Several other private enterprises exhibit modular toilets near metro stations and city attractions, and Smolny's decision does not affect their pricing policy. On average, a visit to a private booth costs 45-50 rubles. Also in the city there are public toilets in shopping centers, the format of their work is determined by the owners. In a number of shopping centers, toilets are free, in others, a fee is set from 15 to 25 rubles. In general, the number of public toilets in St. Petersburg is quite large. One "seat" is for 557 inhabitants.

It remains to add that according to the current urban planning standards, there must be at least one public toilet per 1000 inhabitants.

How are you?

Tatiana Mosunova, guide, Yekaterinburg:

- In our city, a visit to the public toilet is still paid - 20 rubles. But it's not about the price. They are closed here in winter. And in the summer there weren't too many of them - a few for the whole city. Nevertheless, tourists used them quite actively during walking tours. By the way, the problem was especially acute with the introduction of QR codes. If earlier it was possible to take a group of tourists to a shopping center or cafe, then with the advent of restrictions, it became more difficult to do this. And if 30 people enter a shopping center, their documents are checked - this is a big loss of time.

Igor Kulyazhev, Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of Kazan:

- We have free toilets, and this is not the first year. By the way, for the convenience of residents and guests of the city, their working hours have been extended during the New Year holidays. From December 24 to January 10, they will work daily from 10 pm to 10 pm. And the toilet modules located near the Christmas tree towns, from December 31 to January 2, will work until two o'clock in the morning.

Yuri Lebedev, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region:

- There are not so many stationary toilets in Nizhny Novgorod. By the 800th anniversary of the city, toilet modules have appeared on its streets, but all are paid. Unfortunately, Nizhny is one of the many large cities in the country that cannot boast of an appropriate expense item ...

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