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It was too good to be true: The proposed bill that would give women more bathrooms than men, inspired by the long lines seen at concerts, sporting events, and bars, faces opposition due to the costs. City Council is proposing that any new construction with men's and women's bathrooms would need to be designed with a 1:2 ratio of men's to women's facilities, whereas existing restrooms would be redesignated to fit the ratio. The NY Nightlife Association, bruised from the Mayor's smoking ban, argues, "This could cost tens of millions of dollars" and that the legislation should only apply to places where people go to the bathroom at the same time, like during intermission of a play, because "this is not a problem in the average bar." The Nightlife Association also points out that many nightclubs have unisex bathrooms.
Gothamist thought the best part of the Post's article was how Brooklyn Councilwoman Yvette Clarke, co-sponsor of the bill, disagreed but "admitted she hasn't frequented bars and clubs as often as she used to since being elected to office." She said, "I think we can all agree that when you're standing in a line there's nothing more serious at that moment than answering that call." City residents are so lucky that we have people on the City Council fighting the good fight for us. See the bill's introduction here. Of course, Gothamist is in support of more women's bathrooms, or at least more stalls in women's bathrooms. The problem is that women's clothes tend to be more complicated - sometimes there's pantyhose involved - and sometimes there are other matters to tend to, but other than that, it seems most women swarm to the mirrors to primp and gossip.
Gothamist on the bill's introduction.
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1:2 ratio seems a bit steep; I'd say a 2:3 would be a better compromise between cost and accommodation.
at the belmont, both the ladies and mens bathrooms were really long, but the mens room flowed much faster. eventually, women started using the mens room too.
I'm curious, do most women believe this is a serious issue? It's simply incredible the things that people are willing to legislate.
I wouldn't call it a life or death matter, but it is pretty annoying and inconvenient. I'd like to see something done about bathroom disparity.
With a 2:3 ratio, what do you do when there's only one men's room? Have one and a half women's room?
Even without the primping, women take longer in the bathroom than men. After all, most of the time a guy can just unzip and go standing up at a urinal. Women, on the other hand, have to get into a stall and undress the entire lower half of their bodies regardless of whether it's #1 or #2. In addition, at any given time, a goodly percentage women are experiencing "that time of the month" which may necessitate certain additional time-consuming procedures.
I vote for unisex bathrooms all around (like we have at home, folks) -- they can put the urinals in stalls like everything else. And since we're a civilized society, how's about we just do away completely with The Trough (as seen as your local baseball stadium).
On the 2:3 ratio note: round up to the nearest integer for the women. I thought that would be a given.
...which brings us back to the 1:2 ratio.
...with one men's room, yes, there would be a 1:2 ratio, but in venues with many washrooms, he is proposing that a 2:3 ratio would be a little more reasonable, in terms of cost, area, and necessity.
If we're going to actually legislate bathrooms, how about some freakin' public restrooms on the street level? Nothing is worse than not being able to find a bathroom when you're walking around the city. Also, subway bathrooms would be welcome, and could reduce the lovely urine smell of the stations.
Women also have another problem and it makes the lines longer. It also affects how long these lines take to move. It's the fact that little kids also tend to go to the bathroom with their mothers instead of their fathers. Why on earth would you think that it wouldn't take forever for little children to use the toilet? Mothers also have to change the diapers of babies and toddlers when they are in the bathrooms.
Don't just put more toilets in the women's bathrooms. Please make sure that you put more diaper changing tables in the women's and men's restrooms.