ALBURY Council has been accused of aiding disease spread by adopting unisex toilets, with a woman writing it was a "horrible experience" to follow male users.
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Sarah Hall was commenting on the city's new toilet plan which is set to be adopted at Monday night's council meeting.
"I'd like to point out how using unisex public toilets are a horrible experience for us females," Ms Hall wrote.
"To make this point clear, we have to sit to do our business after males who miss the bowl.
"It's a great way to transfer diseases and is just a horrible experience."
The council in its draft plan stated "all accessible toilet facilities should be gender-neutral and not included split male/female toilets" because "this will alleviate the issue where the person with a disability and carers are not the same gender".
Ms Hall suggested disabled toilets could be unisex but argued for male and female toilets, stating "I know I'm not alone, most mums agree".
ln reply, the final plan has added logic for unisex toilets, noting: "They're safer for families with children, as parents will be able to accompany other-gender children to wash up without fear, and they also benefit transgender populations and people outside of the gender binary i.e. male, female, transgender, intersex."
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When the plan was discussed at a public councillor briefing session last week, Cr Murray King said the change could also be beneficial in reducing waiting times to use toilets.
Also drawing flak was the council's plan to shut the mother and baby room at the base of the state government office block in QEII Square as part of the toilet blueprint.
Albury CWA branch secretary Roma Freeman protested to the council as did other mothers arguing that is valued service.
"It has been stated that similar facilities are available at The Retro Café, The Library Museum and in Centrepoint but they do not provide the service that this amenity is supposed to," Mrs Freeman stated in a letter to council.
The city argued the room had low patronage and was outdated, having no upgrade since its 1966 opening.
The final plan flags looking at other council sites in the city to replace the room.
The briefing last week also heard a new toilet block at Hovell Tree Park will be built near the ovens to replace cubicles that sit on a mound near Wodonga Place.
A cubicle will be built at Lake Hume and a block erected on Thurgoona Drive between the freeway and Elizabeth Mitchell Drive to aid those using the bike path.
Cr King raised concerns at only one cubicle at the lake, given the expense of connecting it to the water and sewerage system and the likely demand.
