Trail race runner 'got locked in by new smart toilet'

A trail runner was recently trapped for 10 minutes in a "smart public toilet" that had but been operational for one month, Undersecretary for Environment and Ecology Diane Wong Shuk-han said.

Wong was replying to a question by Legislative Council member Junius Ho Kwan-yiu in a food and environmental hygiene advisory committee meeting yesterday.

The runner - Vivien Cheng Yu-wai, director of Green Earth's community partnership - was unable to open the door of the toilet near Lai Chi Wo in Sha Tau Kok, and had to cry for help before someone finally managed to get it unlocked.

Wong said the incident involved "initiation problems" that had been solved.

"There were two sensors, one for locking with a wave of the hand, and the other for unlocking with a wave," she said.

"It was a touchless system. However, some users may have used the manual door lock If the manual lock is engaged, the electronic lock will not open. So users need to know which direction locks and which unlocks the door," she said.

Wong added that both the interior and exterior of the smart toilets are equipped with emergency switches. Breaking the switch inside would cut off power supply and allow the door to be opened manually.

To make things clearer, instructions have been posted inside the toilets.

Staff have also inspected the emergency opening switches and found no problem.

Cheng was taking part in the 50-kilometer race of The North Face 100 ultra trail challenge on December 9.

She started in Tai Mei Tuk in the morning and ran over 20km to Lai Chi Wo in northeast New Territories.

She then used the toilet there but got trapped. She noticed a green emergency opening switch inside and smashed its glass casing with her hiking pole, cutting her finger, but the door remained locked.

Cheng then repeatedly banged on the door and called out for help before it came.

Cheng said toilets should be designed as simple as possible. "Smart inventions should aim to make life more convenient. Why is using the toilet so complicated? A lot of money was spent but it did not allow people to use the toilet in peace of mind."