DRINKING FOUNTAINS

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm sure I remember a device called a drinking fountain which could be found in parks and at the side of the road.  This strange-looking piece of apparatus could be used to procure liquid refreshment at the tweak of a handle.  What a novel idea .... and wouldn't it be good if we had those these days in parks, the countryside, well-used walking, running and cycle paths?  What do people think?  Has the water fountain had its day and should it be revived or am I just not hardcore enough and should stop whinging and run miles and miles until I am a dehydrated husk?

In the meantime, I continue to use my uncomfortable water-carrying running belt.

I would guess that mostly they've been removed as the local yoof probably vandalise them.

They have them round my way, though, in the country parks. They also have a bowl for dogs to drink from.

 I guess the chavs don't go there - bit too healthy, that outdoors.  And no chippy.

I think the problem with this is that you have lots of annoying disease carriers who will waste the water.

This may land up costing the council more money, which in turn will cost the tax payer money and somehow land up damaging the environment more so that global warming goes nuts and the world gets decent summers.

I am in 

Hey PO  - what are annoying disease carriers.

Do you have drinking fountains in SA?  There are loads in Aus and you find them in the middle of nowhere.

Welshman - the Councils should have a duty to keep the fountains maintained, after all water is a basic human need.  Don't you think?

There's one on the grass  outside  the Louvre in Paris, but yeah, over here they'd just get vandalized.

Disease Carriers are in every country!

We erm...we don't have fountains out here. 

We totally belive in tunnelling into the ground and finding your own f***ing water, you wimp!!

It's a shame some people seem almost resigned to the fact that water fountains would get vandalised.  There are 3 I know of in the city I live in and they have been consistently operational for years.  I have also managed to get the Council to agree to look into reinstating one which is located in an area where there are a lot of runners + putting one in my local park, which is surrounded by woods and fields where people walk and run.  So some success.

I'm optimistic that people's attitudes are changing and that the actions of a few tw*ts won't be allowed to impact on the public who pay for and use local services.

I expect councils are also worried about getting sued by people who catch a disease from a water fountain which has previously been used by a disease-carrier!

On the ones in our parks there is a bit that squirts upwards, for humans, and  tap that you press down on for the water for dogs.

I only ever use the dogs' tap - humans carry far more germs!

Parklife - someone beat you to it!

Most people should be aware of that though - I never touch the lip of the fountains! 

In Hyde Park, there was a tap in the middle of a route I used to run and I always dangled my head around it and tried to swallow the water with my abnormally large mouth

was it this one PO?

I'm definately in.  I've been think this for a while myself but have just never vocalised it.  Should reduce the numnber of plastic bottles that are used too. But I guess the purveyers of these vastly overpriced bottles of mineral water would complain.