More than 500 restrooms in the buildings of government agencies and private businesses along the main streets are now open to the public in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province.

A "public toilet alliance" was established by the municipal urban management department and the law enforcement bureau on Wednesday to ease the city's shortage of public restrooms.

"We set up the alliance because many residents and tourists often complain about the difficulty to find a place to answer the call of nature in the city," said Liu Yanbin, an official of the law enforcement bureau.

Jinan has a population of nearly 7 million but just about 600 public toilets on the streets, he added.

The alliance has now enlisted over 50 members, including Sinopec Shandong Petrochemical Co Ltd, Shandong Jiahua International Travel Agency, as well as some local urban management departments and neighborhood committees.

"We will give these members unified signs and they will put them up on conspicuous places to welcome passers-by to use their restrooms," Liu said.