Survey: free downtown Wi-Fi or more public washrooms

I choose option B, more public washrooms downtown.

Now it is very difficult to find a washroom when you are downtown. Last summer I went there with my two kids for the festival, and my daughter needed toilet. We walked for 20 minutes but all the restaurants said the washroom is only for customer. Finally we had to buy coffee for use the washroom. It was very stressful.

I think this problem is same for many people, like old people, pregnant women and tourists. Also people who don't have home need washrooms, if not they use the street and it is not clean for everybody.

Wi-Fi is good also, but today most people have data on their phone. Also many cafes and the library already have free Wi-Fi. But you can't find a washroom on your phone. My friends who visit from other cities also say the same thing about our downtown.

So I think washrooms are more important for our downtown.

I would choose free public Wi-Fi for the downtown area.

First, free Wi-Fi would help visitors and tourists. When people come to our city, they often need to look up directions, find restaurants or check bus times. Not everyone has a data plan that works here, especially visitors from other countries, so free internet would make their trip much easier.

Second, it would be good for local businesses. If people can stay connected while they are downtown, they might stay longer, walk around more and spend more money in shops and cafes. It would also help students and people who work remotely, because they could work in parks or public spaces.

Public washrooms are also needed, but I am worried about the cost of cleaning them and keeping them safe in 24 hours a day. The Wi-Fi would be cheaper to maintain in the long term.

For these reasons, I believe free Wi-Fi is the better choice for our downtown.

I'd put the money into public washrooms, which may sound unglamorous but would make the bigger difference.

Anyone who has spent an afternoon downtown with young children knows the problem. During the summer jazz festival, my four-year-old suddenly needed a toilet, and three cafés in a row turned us away because the facilities were for customers only. We ended up buying drinks we didn't want simply to gain access. For seniors, people with medical conditions and pregnant women, that uncertainty can be enough to keep them away from downtown altogether.

Washrooms also address a problem the city can't keep ignoring. Without them, people experiencing homelessness have nowhere to go, and the resulting mess in doorways and laneways frustrates businesses and residents alike. Clean facilities open around the clock would ease that tension for everyone.

Free Wi-Fi would be convenient, but most residents already carry mobile data, and the library and many cafés offer free networks. It solves a minor inconvenience, whereas a lack of washrooms determine whether some people can visit at all.

That's why Option B is the more meaningful investment.