After years of complaints, frustration and reactions from citizens and tour guides, Skopje is finally moving to install three new modern public toilets at the city's busiest points. It sounds trivial - but the lack of basic sanitary infrastructure is one of the most common complaints of those passing through the centre.

The three locations are in the busiest spots: the City Park, by Philip II Square and by the main square. Places thousands of people pass through every day - residents, tourists, strollers - who until now had nowhere to meet a basic human need without going into a café.

Citizens are asking for faster implementation and - more importantly - regular maintenance. Some propose a paid system with a clear maintenance mechanism, so the facilities stay functional and clean rather than turning into neglected boxes after a few months, as happened with previous attempts.

Toilets are a small detail that tells a big story about how a city works. That it took Skopje years of pressure for three public toilets says something about its priorities. Now that they're arriving, the real test won't be the grand opening, but whether they're still clean and open six months from now.