HONGQIAO Park located in Guangming District has been hailed as one of the must-visit parks in Shenzhen since it was opened to the public last November. But some residents have complained that they found it hard to find a public toilet in the park, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

The park features a 4-kilometer red bridge where visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll amidst beautiful mountain scenery. The red bridge, shaped like a ribbon, also connects Xincheng Park, Hongqiao Park and Dadingling Mountain Forest Park into a vast urban ecological area.

During a field visit, a Daily Sunshine reporter discovered that there are three places where visitors can find toilets along the 200-meter section from the entrance.

There is a toilet in the tourist service center at the park’s entrance, six portable toilets at the parking lot under the bridge 100 meters away from the entrance, and a standard toilet 200 meters away from the entrance.

At the park’s K5 rest station, visitors need to go through a spiral staircase nearly 10 meters high and about 50 steps from the bridge down to the toilet.

It is also reported that the park’s guide signs are far from satisfactory. “Looking at the signs, I thought there would be a toilet after walking for a while. I didn’t expect the actual distance to be longer,” a citizen surnamed Wang told the Daily Sunshine.

Wang suggested that the park install more signs to indicate the distance and walking time between the last and next toilets, so that tourists can decide whether to turn back or continue to look for toilets.

Meanwhile, the lack of shade and rest areas has become another problem citizens faced. Some visitors told the Daily Sunshine that it takes nearly one and a half hour to finish the distance on the bridge. After walking half the way, one can only go all the way to the end or return to the starting point.

Visitors pointed out that all the park’s footpaths are directly below the sun’s rays and it is difficult to find a shade or rest area.

According to the district’s urban management and law enforcement bureau, six public toilets will be added along the red bridge in the near future. Meanwhile, two public toilets will be built at the park’s south square in addition to 12 rest and activity areas. (Zhang Yu)