$1 Billion Street Furniture Deal Means 20 Public Toilets

Tocadors all around! With the Department of Transportation working out the final details of a contract with Spanish outdoor firm, Cemusa, most of the interest in the $1 billion is surrounding the 20 public toilets that will be included amongst the newspaper kiosks and bus shelters. The NY Times details the long, mostly unsuccessful history of trying to bring public toilets to the city (lots of lawsuits). When looks at our archives, there was an initiative to bring 20 public restrooms to the streets back in 2003 (and this is where Newsday thought more were needed), it that probably fell through, and the most ballyhooed public bathrooms in the recent memory are the ones at the Times Square subway station! Perhaps this is because there are so many places to go, like the Barnes and Noble or Starbucks, or even the Gap, if you plead and do the tinkle dance.

The Daily News says that Cemusa's overseas toilets "come equipped with a tiny sink for washing up and timers that regulate how long users can tend to their business. Afterward, the toilets automatically clean up with disinfectant spray." One facet Gothamist would love love love to include: A meter on the outside that indicates whether the toilet is really stinky. And might we also suggest Cemusa and Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners (the designers) consider the clear public toilets in Switzerland?

Gothamist on finding a bathroom and you can get a need to pee card.

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By Jen Chung in News on September 22, 2005 9:34 AM

Comments [rss]

Rose Fox

Meanwhile, the Bryant Park Restoration Corp. and 34th Street Partnership have done a great job with the public toilets in Bryant Park and Herald Square. I'm surprised not to see them mentioned, especially given how often Bryant Park's bathrooms make it into national publications; but given how long they've been around, perhaps that doesn't count as recent ballyhooing.

Tinkle Tess

Although it's been sad to see New York look increasingly like a suburban strip mall, I must say this widespread proliferation of big-box stores is really like Free Public Bathrooms, which are often pretty good. Hurray for the 6th Ave Bed, Bath and Beyond!

And I never feel guilty for using them without buying stuff, unlike I would at a non-chain restaurant or something local/struggling.

Starbucks ones are starting to look way worse than McDonald's -- very fecal/no TP/fighting with junkies.

S.D.

Isn't that the Loo that they used in HBO's OZ??

smitty

The bad problem with these self-contained public toilets are the syringes left on the floor after junkies have shot up. Blech.

See example: San Francisco's fancy euro toilets.

johnny

I have been happily urinating & defecating in the streets & bushes of this great city since 1991. I confess that at first I did it because there was no place to go. Only later did I realize that I actually preferred the clandestine nature of crapping in the streets.

It is a lifestyle choice.

The addition of 20 hi-tech toilets will not deter me.

Brightliner

I wish there were more. I can't count how many times I've needed to go and found myself looking for a Starbucks sign. Not to mention the time I saw a guy relieving himself on Sixth Ave between two car bumpers at 10 a.m. This is midtown in broad daylight with thousands of people around. If a few public restrooms could prevent sights like this, I'm game. I wouldn't even mind if they charged a quarter or two for each use to help offset maintenance and supply costs.

That See-Through Loo was one of a kind and not "toilets" (plural).