Atelescopic toilet, retractable toilet, or pop-up toilet, is a type of toilet which is stored underground and then raised (usually hydraulically) above ground when in use.[1][2][3][4]
A very common type of telescopic toilet is a telescopic urinal, and they have often been employed at nighttimes or on weekends to discourage street urination.[2][5]
Telescopic toilets were first invented and installed in the Netherlands in the form of telescopic urinals.[6] In 2002 they were introduced in London for night time use, with more being installed in 2012.[1][6] By 2014 there were over 200 across Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.[5][6] In 2016 the first female telescopic toilet was introduced in Amsterdam.[4]
In 2014 a telescopic urinal shot up out of the ground due to a gas explosion, injuring the nearby system manager; usage of telescopic urinals was halted for a while, and then resumed.[5][4] In 2023 a maintenance worker was crushed to death by a telescopic urinal on Shaftesbury AvenueinLondon when it fell suddenly on him,[7][2][8] and a second telescopic urinal was subsequently shut.[9]
