By Naveen Mathew Menon

KUALA LUMPUR: "Awas! Tandas!" should be the sign on many public toilets in the city instead of "Tandas Awam".

This was the wry observation of a tourist after a nasty experience at the KL Bird Park's public toilet recently.

And, the tourist is not alone in her observations. Dirty public toilets have long been one of the main gripes of locals and tourists who visit the federal capital.

Check the blogs and travel websites and you will find visitors warning fellow tourists about it.

Following the numerous complaints, Streets decided to do a spot check on the state of public toilets at various parts of the city and find out what city folk and tourists have to say.

While many agreed that City Hall had done a good job by putting up modern automated street toilets (AST) in strategic places, they said public toilets in most food courts, restaurants (unless they are of the upmarket variety), wet markets, bus and train stations, parks, shopping emporiums and supermarkets were among those which needed to be cleaned and upgraded immediately.

The public toilet at a small food court in a parking area next to the Methodist Girls School in the Taman Tasik Perdana area is a case in point. It would be a traumatic experience for anyone who uses it.

The human excreta, unflushed toilets, dirty floors, filthy toilet seats and stink at this toilet are guaranteed to make you throw up.

The toilet at the Pudu market is another horrifying place. The rubbish-strewn lanes and slushy pot-holed alleys are the warning signs about what to expect at this toilet. After looking at the condition of the toilet, you won't bat an eyelid when you see rats or cockroaches fighting for territory here.

The public toilet near the Coliseum theatre in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman was far from satisfactory although 20 sen was collected from each user. Like many other toilets, it was smelly and there were used tissue paper and water all over the floor.

A visitor, met outside the Bird Park, said you not only had to watch out for bird droppings at the park but also human ones when answering the call of nature.

She had no further comments because she said she was too mortified by her experience.

"When you need to use the loo, it is better to go to high-class shopping malls like The Gardens, Mid Valley Megamall, Pavilion or Sunway Pyramid, or use the new modern street toilets," advised Rozita Kasim, 40.

In almost all the public toilets surveyed, other than the posh ones in the malls, there were no soap dispensers or toilet paper.

In many public toilets, the short hoses which serve as "bidets" were found inside the toilet bowls or on dirty floors, a testimony to the low standard of hygiene of users as well as cleaners.

Most of the ASTs surveyed gave us the assurance that it was possible to have better, cleaner, public toilets. These toilets have water taps, soap dispensers and hand-dryers which are triggered by high-tech motion sensors.

The ASTs are equipped with two cubicles -- one with a squatting toilet and the other with a sitting toilet, with an automatic flushing system. The toilet seats are cleaned automatically after each use. There is also an attendant to ensure the cleanliness of the cubicles.

The air-conditioned toilets, which cost 20 sen to use, are popular with the public.

There were a number of people waiting to use the AST in Jalan Bunus. But, in spite of the high human traffic, the toilet was still fairly clean. However, there were no toilet rolls at this AST or the one next to the Sogo Mall on the day Streets did the survey.

Another major grouse of people we talked to was that there was not enough public toilets.

"Take for example Brickfields," said Julia Chan, 28, who often takes a bus from Brickfields to return to her home in Happy Garden off Jalan Klang Lama.

"I sometimes do my grocery shopping in the area after work and do you know, there is no public toilet in the area" Shocking isn't it, considering that this place is popularly known as Little India and has many temples and churches and its fair share of tourists too?"

There is also no public toilet near the Masjid Jamek station. I was directed to a toilet inside the station which was meant for commuters but a kind security guard allowed me to use it.

The toilets, which cost 20 sen to use, were not clean. A female commuter who didn't want to be named said there was a contraption on the toilet seat to prevent people from squatting on it.

But, it was difficult to manoeuvre into position to take a leak, she said.

"Can't imagine what big-sized people do," she added.