Photo: Aaron – Flickr There is no problem with urine, the Massachusetts Bay Authority hopes, with a new program to address public urination in state-of-the-art system lifts. The MBTA, which serves Boston and the surrounding area, is launching a pilot program this summer in which urine detection sensors will be installed in four elevators in the city center. The sensors alert transit ambassadors, who may send a cleaning crew, the Boston Herald reported. The sensors on the roof of an elevator have an attached fan, which allows them to suck in air and “basically smell what is there,” said Meghan Collins, program / project manager for MBTA. The pilot starts in August. The data will be collected for several months before the agency decides whether to implement the program by the end of the year, the newspaper reported. This is not a new idea. Nearly a decade ago, the Metropolitan Atlanta Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority launched a pilot program that, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, triggered strobe lights, alarms and alerts to MARTA police when urine was detected in an elevator. The elevators were then out of order until cleaning. This program, which was considered successful, was eventually expanded. The MBTA hopes the program will help alleviate the problems: Public urination is not only unhealthy but can also damage elevators, Collins said.
