OPEN-AIR urinals should be introduced in city's night strips to combat the problem of men relieving themselves in public, Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood says.

The stench of urine from late night revellers peeing in doorways and in laneways has long frustrated the city's traders and residents, particularly in the West End.

In a city where pop-up bars and food trucks are increasingly popular, the next step will be pop-up urinals that are placed in key party spots at night.

Already in use in Sydney around popular nightspots, portable outdoor urinals were trialled in Canberra last month in a campaign marketed as Where to Pee in the Wee Hours.

More than 650 litres of urine was collected from more than 2000 men over nine nights, leading authorities to hail the trial as a success.

Perth and Sydney are going a step further by introducing urinals called Urilifts, that retract into the ground during the day and are used widely in Europe.

Mr Yarwood said the council should consider trialling portable urinals first

"I would be open to investigating it for next financial year," he said.

"To undertake a trial it would have to be cost effective, which would be the lighter, cheaper option."

That would rule out the more expensive Urilifts in the short term, he said.

Rob de Kok, who runs the Co-West creative writing hub on Currie St, near Light Square, said men urinating in the neighbouring laneway and all around the square was a constant problem.

He said he was sick of encountering puddles of urine, broken bottles and even discarded underwear.

"The stench of urine is right through the alleyway and it pushes into my building," he said.

Mr de Kok said something had to be done because "a bloke just wants somewhere to relieve himself".

He said portable urinals could be used for events in the square but called for a more creative solution, such as a design competition for a permanent urinal that would be "art and useful at the same time".

A police spokesman said: "Provided that the Adelaide City Council complies with all rules, regulations and acts prior to the installation of the toilets then there should be no issue, as long as people use them for the purposes for which they are designed."

Section 24 of the Summary Offences Act states: "A person caught urinating or defecating in a public place within a municipality or town, elsewhere than in premises provided for that purpose, is guilty of an offence and can be fined up to $250."

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