Atlanta Public Transit Authority Could Spend Over $1 Million Installing Urine Detectors In Subways
ByRather than simply building bathrooms, Atlanta's public transit authority has elected to install urine detectors to catch and punish perpetrators in the act, Mashable reported. About ten sensors will be strategically placed around subway elevators, the biggest target for patrons looking to release their bladders.
Considered a "daily problem" in some Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transportation Authority (MARTA) stations, "the smell [of urine] hits you so bad. You hold your breath just to hurry up and get off the elevator," a rider told WSBTV.
"If you've ever been in a Porta Potty, that's what it smelled like before," said MARTA Director of Elevators/Escalators Tom Beebe.
The installation process will cost about $10,000 per elevator and will begin next month, according to Mashable. A small pilot program at an undisclosed subway stop was conducted earlier in the year and must have been successful enough for officials to approve the project on a larger scale. The goal is to outfit all 111 stations (yes, that's over a million dollars spent on urine sensors).
Based on descriptions from WSBTV, the sensors are about as subtle as an old-model smoke alarm. Once they detect urine, they trigger a siren, at which point transit officials rush over to confront the offending party. Or, as Beebe described the process: "If somebody was to urinate in here, there's going to be a splash factor. It would splash and it would sense."
In addition to the sensors, MARTA will improve the lighting surround elevators and add cameras, according to WSBTV