In order to limit the stay of homeless people in Riga's public toilets and prevent damage to the equipment, the municipality plans to equip several toilets with POS terminals this autumn and to charge for their use, thus improving the possibility for residents and visitors of the capital to visit the facilities at their preferred time and place.
Currently, the use of toilets is often affected by vandalism by negligent fellow citizens, resulting in damaged or stolen elements and inaccessibility during repairs, as well as by the prolonged stay of homeless people and the filth it causes. To deal with this problem, 17 toilets without cleaners/duty officers will be equipped with payment card (POS) terminals and the service will be available by paying with a card.
The city plans to install POS terminals in toilets in Aldaris Park, 13. January Street near Vaļņu Street, Dailes Theatre Square, Esplanāde Park, Jāņa Asara Street in Grīziņkalns, Jēkaba Square, Kobe Garden, two toilets in Kronvalds Park - on the Kronvalds Boulevard side and near Elizabetes Street, two toilets in Mežaparks - in Atpūtas Avenue near the children's playground and Ostas Prospekt, in Nordeķi Park, Radio Street, Jauniela near the City Hall, Turgeņevs Street and Gogoisl Street in the square near the Academy of Sciences, Vērmanes Garden and Ziedoņdārzs Park.
The fee for using these toilets will be 50 cents. This amount was chosen taking into account both the price of private sector toilets in Riga and neighbouring countries, and calculations to cover the cost of maintaining the POS terminals.
As before, most toilets in Riga will continue to operate free of charge, including toilets with cleaners/duty officers at Embūte Street in Dzegužkalns, Ernestīnes Street in Jaunatnes Garden, Kr. Valdemāra Street near the Latvian National Museum of Art, Maskavas Street near the Spīķeri District, Kokneses Avenue in Mežaparks, Miera Garden Park, Pērnavas Street in Grīziņkalns and Zigfrīda Anna Meierovica Boulevard near Bastejkalns. There is also a toilet with cleaners/duty officers at Vecāķi Beach, but it is open only during the high season until the end of September, for a fee of 28 cents.
40 composting toilets will be available free of charge and will operate in the capital during the season - until 31 October - and will be available again in spring. There will also be six seasonal container-type toilets with cleaners/duty officers until the end of November, which will also be free of charge.
Information about the locations and working hours of public toilets is available on the website of the Riga City Council Housing and Environment Department https://mvd.riga.lv/nozares/apsaimniekosanas-parvalde/publiskas-tualetes/
On Tuesday, 31 October, the Riga City Council Housing and Environment Department will decide on the establishment of fees for toilets. POS terminals will be installed in toilets after the final decision is adopted by the Riga City Council.
Have there ever been pay toilets in Riga?
- More than ten years ago, 13 new public toilets were built in Riga, all of them were pay toilets.
- Access was given by paying in cash - 20 santimes, which had to be placed in a special machine.
- In 2014, 12 toilets had their pay services cancelled due to an avalanche of stolen coin machines, and the municipality was no longer able to quickly provide supplies to replace damaged or stolen coin machines. Many criminal proceedings were initiated. Therefore, the municipality decided to abolish the pay service and to provide free access to the toilets.
- In Vecāķi, the fee was collected by the cleaners/duty officers by issuing a ticket, which is still the case today. Vecāķi is currently the only pay toilet operated by the municipality.
How often are toilets cleaned?
In public toilets without a cleaner/duty officer, cleaning takes place three times a day. On public holidays, when more people are expected, some toilets are cleaned non-stop.
Information prepared by: Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv