SMS-based SatLav service guides Londoners to public toilets

If you've ever found yourself stuck in London with the insatiable urge to urinate in an alleyway, help is on the way. Believe it or not, a new SMS-based toilet finding service actually has the aforementioned predicament as a top priority to solve, and the Westminster City Council is hoping that people utilize the system to keep streets a bit cleaner. Cleverly dubbed SatLav, the technology enables individuals passing through London's West End to text the word "toilet" to 80097 in order to receive a (hopefully hasty) reply with details to get to the nearest public restroom. Unfortunately, the service will cost users £0.25 ($0.52) each time they use it, so we're a bit skeptical that alleyway urinators will happily cough up some coin rather than just sticking to old ways.

[Image courtesy of BBC]

[jperry2010 @ Nov 29th 2007 10:12AM]

I think it would just be easier to find a dark alley...I know I wouldn't want to have to go through the trouble for the text, wait for a response, and then find the bathroom when I am that drunk...

[blade417 @ Nov 29th 2007 10:13AM]

And if you double your payment, it will even give your bottom a quick spray of toilet water.

[Bucky @ Nov 29th 2007 10:19AM]

Ok, turn left in three blocks, then....
Aaahhh. Nevermind.

[superfresh @ Nov 29th 2007 10:34AM]

So now Limeys can use their Blackberrys when doing the Green Apple Quick Step?

Too much fruit.

[PDubNYC @ Nov 29th 2007 10:48AM]

I don't think urinators will be the main users of this system. When you've got a rumble in the jungle, an alley will just not do.

Come on ice cream....

[mikey @ Nov 29th 2007 11:01AM]

Welcome SatLav's no. 1 customer - Mr. George Michael.

[blade417 @ Nov 29th 2007 11:16AM]

"Get your cock outta my chrysler!!"

[Steve Chandler @ Nov 29th 2007 11:55AM]

This is deinfately for the Westminster area. I'm in Islington, and it just told me to go to Covent Garden! check out the google maps link for directions... I think an alleyway will do for me.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=islington&daddr=Covent+Garden,+Westminster,+London,+United+Kingdom&sll=54.162434,-3.647461&sspn=11.441016,27.597656&ie=UTF8&cd=4&ll=51.523805,-0.104713&spn=0.047422,0.107803&z=14&om=1

[James @ Nov 29th 2007 12:52PM]

It's too bad you have to spend 25 pence...
when you only wanted to spend a penny.
Sorry.

[chandler3224 @ Nov 29th 2007 12:57PM]

Ba-dum tish!

[tigger @ Nov 29th 2007 1:32PM]

I don't really like the idea of spending money to use a ublic toilet, and then proably having to spend more money again to enter the toilet. Heres an online list of London loos accross most boroughs...

http://www.lastrounds.co.uk/component/option,com_bookmarks/Itemid,37/mode,0/catid,53/search,*/

Tigs

[BigD145 @ Nov 29th 2007 4:30PM]

But, by law I'm allowed to urinate on the street. I'm certainly not going to pay to not be able to do that.

[kayjoedwards @ Dec 2nd 2007 9:46PM]

There is a similar service in the US...
http://www.mizpee.com/mizpeeweb/welcome.do