4 ms·

I think it stopped once public bathrooms became used for things other than taking a whizz

expedition32 24d ago
Yeah you have to actually hire people to clean them and patrol for homeless weirdos. Which is why in my country they cost money. I never really understood the economics of public restrooms in America. Who pays for them?
- addaon 24d ago
  > Who pays for them? Americans. The same population as most of the beneficiaries.
- cnity 24d ago
  The public pays for them via taxes.
- mosura 24d ago
  The problem with homeless is also what do you do with them when you find them?
  - nitwit005 24d ago
    Several bathrooms at the openings to hiking trails near me had been smeared with feces. The local newspaper reported someone was caught and taken to a homeless shelter. I remain suspicious that simply resulted in the shelter's bathroom meeting the same fate.
- selectodude 24d ago
  We thought it was mean to homeless people to make them pay for bathrooms and made it illegal to charge. Then once bathrooms because a massive cost center, we closed all the public restrooms and made it a sex offense to piss outside. So now instead of making homeless people pay $1 for a toilet, we throw them in jail at a cost of $100k/yr. Thank these folks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_in_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_i... - the road to hell is paved with good intentions I suppose.
  - jerlam 24d ago
    We're not throwing the homeless in jail here, but all the streets smell like urine and you have to watch your step on the sidewalk.
    - rawgabbit 24d ago
      A few years ago I visited downtown SF for a convention at Moscone center. I remember walking along St Patrick’s thinking this is a beautiful place but , my God, the entire area stinks of urine.
  - 8f2ab37a-ed6c 24d ago
    Having lived in SF, LA and NYC, I find it very hard to believe that the homeless or the addicts roaming the streets in big cities are being thrown into jail for much of anything short of overt violent behavior. You can see people drop a deuce in the middle of Mission St any day of the week and nobody bats an eye. As people say, "it's just a normal part of life in a big city".
  - phainopepla2 24d ago
    Where are we throwing homeless people in jail for pissing outside?
  - throwawayffffas 24d ago
    Public urination is not a sex offence, it's a misdemeanor. You don't get arrested for public urination. You get a citation, if you are drunk they might haul you to the jail for public intoxication, but you are out when you sober up. As long as you don't pee near a school and what not you should be fine.
- alephnerd 24d ago
  > I never really understood the economics of public restrooms in America. Who pays for them? Local sales, income, and/or property taxes. Municipalities, counties, state, and the federal government all have the power of taxation in the US.
- ssl-3 24d ago
  We all pay for it. We do this whether publicly-accessible restrooms exist or do not exist. Everybody poops; shit happens. The only real question is: Where does this shit happen?
- xboxnolifes 24d ago
  I don't think I've seen a public bathroom in America in my lifetime. They're all privately owned, usually required through regulation. But to answer your question, public things are paid for by the public.
  - toast0 24d ago
    Never been to a public park with a bathroom, or a state provided highway rest stop? Many transit centers are owned and operated by a municipal transit agency and typically have restrooms, especially large airports and train stations.
    - xboxnolifes 24d ago
      Public parks and transit centers make sense. I was thinking more in urban areas, not large public land. For example, if I was in a town and needed to go to the bathroom, usually the only option is hoping a business will let you use their restroom.
  - ssl-3 24d ago
    We've got a ton of actually-public restrooms in my neck of the woods (in Ohio). Public rest areas are pretty common along major highways and these include restrooms. Publicly-owned parks usually provide a place to poop, too: Sometimes it's an installation with composting toilets, sometimes it's just a seat over a septic pit that needs pumped out periodically. Sometimes, it's fancy with flushing toilets and sinks for handwashing. Other times, it's just a rented portajohn (that may be full of spiders and smell like death, or be very tidy). And sometimes, they're locked at night when the park is closed. But -- usually -- public parks of any substance offer something for facilities. Just last week, I worked next to a public park in a very small town (population ~2,000) with some well-maintained basketball and tennis courts. There were a couple of portajohns present. (I did not investigate them further.) And when there's a major events that draw crowds, like our very public fireworks displays in downtown areas: Temporary restroom facilities are provided. What we don't have very much of here are permanent, literal-public restrooms in the denser parts of cities. That is very problematic, but it is slowly improving[1]. [1]: https://downtownservices.org/news-article/three-public-restrooms-installed-downtown/ https://downtownservices.org/news-article/three-public-restr...
foolinaround 24d ago
the public bathroom should be redesigned so that one can do only the thing it is designed for - and maybe it needs to be a single-user design. Almost like an airline bathroom size - might be a bit claustrophobic but these are for emergencies and space saving would be big. the doors could be wired to sensors that are connected to a central network that shows in real-time the availability and also some alarms if something is out of the ordinary etc.
- muwtyhg 24d ago
  How do you accommodate ADA requirements?
  - foolinaround 24d ago
    perfect is the enemy of the good... how about some of them being ADA-conforming, with maps noting where they are?

Yeah you have to actually hire people to clean them and patrol for homeless weirdos. Which is why in my country they cost money. I never really understood the economics of public restrooms in America. Who pays for them?

addaon 24d ago
> Who pays for them? Americans. The same population as most of the beneficiaries.
cnity 24d ago
The public pays for them via taxes.
mosura 24d ago
The problem with homeless is also what do you do with them when you find them?
- nitwit005 24d ago
  Several bathrooms at the openings to hiking trails near me had been smeared with feces. The local newspaper reported someone was caught and taken to a homeless shelter. I remain suspicious that simply resulted in the shelter's bathroom meeting the same fate.
selectodude 24d ago
We thought it was mean to homeless people to make them pay for bathrooms and made it illegal to charge. Then once bathrooms because a massive cost center, we closed all the public restrooms and made it a sex offense to piss outside. So now instead of making homeless people pay $1 for a toilet, we throw them in jail at a cost of $100k/yr. Thank these folks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_in_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_i... - the road to hell is paved with good intentions I suppose.
- jerlam 24d ago
  We're not throwing the homeless in jail here, but all the streets smell like urine and you have to watch your step on the sidewalk.
  - rawgabbit 24d ago
    A few years ago I visited downtown SF for a convention at Moscone center. I remember walking along St Patrick’s thinking this is a beautiful place but , my God, the entire area stinks of urine.
- 8f2ab37a-ed6c 24d ago
  Having lived in SF, LA and NYC, I find it very hard to believe that the homeless or the addicts roaming the streets in big cities are being thrown into jail for much of anything short of overt violent behavior. You can see people drop a deuce in the middle of Mission St any day of the week and nobody bats an eye. As people say, "it's just a normal part of life in a big city".
- phainopepla2 24d ago
  Where are we throwing homeless people in jail for pissing outside?
- throwawayffffas 24d ago
  Public urination is not a sex offence, it's a misdemeanor. You don't get arrested for public urination. You get a citation, if you are drunk they might haul you to the jail for public intoxication, but you are out when you sober up. As long as you don't pee near a school and what not you should be fine.
alephnerd 24d ago
> I never really understood the economics of public restrooms in America. Who pays for them? Local sales, income, and/or property taxes. Municipalities, counties, state, and the federal government all have the power of taxation in the US.
ssl-3 24d ago
We all pay for it. We do this whether publicly-accessible restrooms exist or do not exist. Everybody poops; shit happens. The only real question is: Where does this shit happen?
xboxnolifes 24d ago
I don't think I've seen a public bathroom in America in my lifetime. They're all privately owned, usually required through regulation. But to answer your question, public things are paid for by the public.
- toast0 24d ago
  Never been to a public park with a bathroom, or a state provided highway rest stop? Many transit centers are owned and operated by a municipal transit agency and typically have restrooms, especially large airports and train stations.
  - xboxnolifes 24d ago
    Public parks and transit centers make sense. I was thinking more in urban areas, not large public land. For example, if I was in a town and needed to go to the bathroom, usually the only option is hoping a business will let you use their restroom.
- ssl-3 24d ago
  We've got a ton of actually-public restrooms in my neck of the woods (in Ohio). Public rest areas are pretty common along major highways and these include restrooms. Publicly-owned parks usually provide a place to poop, too: Sometimes it's an installation with composting toilets, sometimes it's just a seat over a septic pit that needs pumped out periodically. Sometimes, it's fancy with flushing toilets and sinks for handwashing. Other times, it's just a rented portajohn (that may be full of spiders and smell like death, or be very tidy). And sometimes, they're locked at night when the park is closed. But -- usually -- public parks of any substance offer something for facilities. Just last week, I worked next to a public park in a very small town (population ~2,000) with some well-maintained basketball and tennis courts. There were a couple of portajohns present. (I did not investigate them further.) And when there's a major events that draw crowds, like our very public fireworks displays in downtown areas: Temporary restroom facilities are provided. What we don't have very much of here are permanent, literal-public restrooms in the denser parts of cities. That is very problematic, but it is slowly improving[1]. [1]: https://downtownservices.org/news-article/three-public-restrooms-installed-downtown/ https://downtownservices.org/news-article/three-public-restr...

foolinaround 24d ago

the public bathroom should be redesigned so that one can do only the thing it is designed for - and maybe it needs to be a single-user design. Almost like an airline bathroom size - might be a bit claustrophobic but these are for emergencies and space saving would be big. the doors could be wired to sensors that are connected to a central network that shows in real-time the availability and also some alarms if something is out of the ordinary etc.

muwtyhg 24d ago
How do you accommodate ADA requirements?
- foolinaround 24d ago
  perfect is the enemy of the good... how about some of them being ADA-conforming, with maps noting where they are?