…or the lack of. Long-time Aixcentric followers will know that the lack of bathroom facilities has long been an 
issue in Aix, ‘ville d’art, ville d’eau’, tourist-magnet, investor in all manner of public improvements. But:
Can you guess how many public toilets there are in town?
Eight!
That’s for a population of 150,000 or 1 loo per 18,000 people. And according to La Provence, things have been brought to a head by the fact that the only good loo in town (that’s the one behind the palais de justice opposite Gap) is closed for ‘travaux’ and all cafes and bars are shut.
The situation was discussed at the last council meeting. Solutions ranged from putting metal pissotieres next to bus-stops, or elsewhere in town, but businesses nearby are understandably not keen. They also referenced the solution used by other countries where local shops etc are incentivised to open their facilities. I described a scheme in Richmond, Surrey, here: https://aixcentric.com/2013/11/19/today-journee-mondiale-des-toilettes/ But apparently this use of money is against French law. So an invitation to tender has gone out for a company to come in and provide and maintain more loos.
Meanwhile there are 3 temporary toilets behind the Palais de Justice, mainly for the market people, and two near the cours Mirabeau for the Christmas market (exact location unknown – please add to comments if you have seen them). These apparently will be in place until the cafes re-open.
Which really isn’t good enough as it implies that we should be using cafes for their bathroom facilities. It’s annoying for the proprietors as some people don’t buy anything…….plus many of the toilets are shall we say minimalistic – soggy towel anyone?
We’re in the middle of a global pandemic and are being exhorted to ‘wash, wash, wash your hands’. It’s surely time for Aix to invest in a state-of-the-art public restroom, with on-site staff, hot-air dryers and baby-changing facilities. Wouldn’t that be great, and I’m sure no-one would begrudge a small fee to fund it. Maybe the underpass at the Rotonde could house it all with an integrated lift for wheel-chairs/prams.
Aix is brilliant at funding innovation – pedestrianisation, refurbishment of historic squares, libraries, park-and-ride facilities, the new electric buses, tree-planting, the arts, festivals and so on. Hopefully new loos will be on the agenda for 2021?
aixcentric 
There is a single red port-a-potty in the street just next to Bechard. I did not see if it is accessible freely or if there is a fee. If you look at their Facebook page, you will see Bechard had a public rant about it being there!
Thanks for the info on location!
Happy new year to all the family….
There are some good free loos at the bus station – no idea if they are open at the moment,
though.
Yes they are listed as one of the ‘8’! I think Aix could do better here….
Happy new year!