D.C. Considers Public Subway Toilet

The Associated Press ^ | JANUARY 23, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first public toilet in the Washington area subway system would get a one-year trial under a recommendation Thursday from transit officials.

If the full Metro Board approves Feb. 20, a self-cleaning single stall unit made in New Zealand will be placed inside the fare gates of the Huntington station in Fairfax County, Va. The test run, with a price tag of $66,500, will monitor customer acceptance, feasibility, safety and cleanliness, officials said.

``We're going to gauge it and see what happens,'' Metro chief engineer Pat Porzillo said. ``Hopefully, it will generate some ridership.''

Huntington, the last stop on the Yellow Line, was chosen because many commuters end up there after a long bus or train ride. The vandal-resistant portable john has all the comforts of home: a flushing toilet, tissue paper, soap, a sink and hand drying.

Other cities such as Atlanta and San Francisco offer public restrooms in their transit system, but such facilities were not part of the plan when the 26-year-old Washington Metrorail was designed. Existing restrooms are for employee use only.

The agency's long-standing policy, which would remain in effect during the test, requires kiosk managers to make restrooms available in case of emergencies. But passengers have said such requests are rarely honored, with 28 complaints recorded in the last six months.

Robert Brubaker, a retired Defense Department computer manager, has been pressing the board for a year to make restrooms more accessible. He said some Metro stations have large, high quality, multistalled restrooms — much larger than station employees need.

``My goal has been for Metro to publicize their policy,'' Brubaker said. ``I want to see it on their Web site, in their brochures.'' He said that as people learn about the hidden, private restrooms, complaints will increase.

Every Metro station has at least two restrooms. They are usually near the station manager's kiosk, off a hallway behind heavy brown doors. They are spacious and clean, equipped with multiple stalls, plenty of soap and neatly stacked paper towels. But designers thought it would be a challenge to open them to the public due to problems New York City was having at the time in policing and keeping its subway restrooms clean.

[DrCarl]

>``We're going to gauge it and see what happens,''

Bug Chaser Heaven.

[SGCOS]

Geez.

I just finished reading about the spread of noroviruses, and now this thread.

Sometimes my timing just sucks.

[Incorrigible]

I would have thought they would have installed this at the Dupont Circle station first.

[Happy2BMe]

* * NEWS FLASH * *

Bin Ladin Found!

BBC, London

In an incredible breakthrough in the war on terror, bin Ladin was found today by a group of British sixth-grade school boys while performing a ritual "baptism" ceremony on one of their classmates.

To their amazement, as they were forcing the head of their peer into one of the scum-covered toilets, the lad screamed out - I FOUND HIM! I FOUND BIN LADIN!! - HE'S RIGHT HERE IN THIS $HI$$ER!!!

The lad's name who discovered bin Ladin hiding in the toilet was not disclosed due to protection of a minor. However, he and his parents were very grateful for the "baptismal" ceremony and for the huge reward money.

They mentioned something about donating a box of Comet cleanser to the school district as a token of their appreciation.

[rllngrk33]

If they go through with this, I predict Metro will smell like the NYC subway within 6 months.

[Jack Black]

Isn't it the lack of toilets that makes the NYC subway smell. As I recall all the toilets were closed and padlocked in the 80s to stop the crime that was rampant in them.

[blau993]

a self-cleaning single stall unit

Yeah, right.

[bat1816]

There's a reason they chose Huntington Station at the end of the Yellow line. For those not familiar with the DC area and the Metro system, the area around Huntington Station is mostly white. Most of the people boarding or exiting at this station are white and middle class.

So the results of this one year trial will be greatly skewed. That's why they didn't chose Anacostia Station for the trial. It's a mostly black, poor area. I'm sure they wouldn't like the results of a trial period in that location.

[Dionysius]

It isn't the lack of facilities. It is the lack of self control, common decency and civilized behavior.

[stylin19a]

The vandal-resistant..
uh-oh.....this now will be tagged before it gets off the truck.

[Jack Black]

Your right, of course. Still when there are NO public bathrooms anywhere in a city, and none of the business will let the poor use them (no reason they should) it is obvious that the human waste has to go somewhere. In Portland, OR it's around the freeways and in the parks. It's quite disgusting in the parks.