Those space-age automated public toilets—or A.P.T.s, as they're known in the business—are all the rage in the two locations where they've been installed. Cemusa, the Spanish company that won a contract in 2005 to install 20 of them citywide, says that the self-cleaning A.T.P. in Madison Square Park was used 2,736 times in a recent 30-day period, while the one in Corona was used 1,920 times. So why have only two been installed since the prototype was unveiled back in 2006? A spokesman for the DOT tells the Times, "Some communities don’t want A.P.T.’s." You'll recall that some Park Slope residents had objected to a proposed toilet at Grand Army Plaza, and a Councilwoman representing the Upper East Side also declined. more ›

Oh, the fun reporters have with bathrooms. Today the Brooklyn Paper, in an article headlined "Flush with Success," has the scoop on what will likely be Kings County's very first public pay toilet, to be located in Grand Army "Plotz-a." There are currently two such self-cleaning toilets in town, located in Corona Plaza, Queens and in Manhattan at Madison Square Park. Costing 25 cents for 15 minutes alone with the throne, they're managed by Cemusa, the same company that previously brought you Bowery Street. The DOT has been sloooowly moving to install twenty of the rest rooms in all five boroughs, and the Grand Army Plaza facility is expected to be approved by the local Community Board next week. But some locals like Park Slope resident Joan Tobias voiced trepidation about the sanitary conditions: "As long as they keep it clean, I’m not against it. I’d be willing to pay even a one dollar fee, as long as it’s clean. If it’s kept clean, I’m OK with it." In other words, she really hopes Cemusa cleans better than they spell. more ›