Restrooms - Greater Greater Washington

A matter of personal dignity

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:11:00 EDT

Metrobus drivers typically don't have time for bathroom breaks, and when they do have time there's often no place to go. Not only is it uncomfortable, but holding it so long can lead to health problems. (Post)

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Valencia shows new ideas for signs and public space

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:15:00 EDT

by Mitch Wander

Most people associate Valencia, Spain with oranges, paella or the fireworks-packed Las Fallas celebrations. Valencia also boasts innovative ways to mark subway stairs and crosswalks, access its bike sharing program, and park cars along its neighborhood commercial districts.

All photos by the author.

Frequent Metro riders in the DC area struggle with the right way to explain the local custom of standing on the right and walking on the left on Metro escalators. Metro Valencia educates each and every rider with a firm yet humorous reminder at the base of escalators.

The text in Valencian and (Castilian) Spanish asks whether you're in a hurry or not. Green versus red and the cartoon characters reinforce where the speedsters and where the slowpokes need to be.

In the occasional blocks where concrete dominates the landscape, there are small designated areas where dogs can relieve themselves. These are not dog parks, just places for dogs to do their business. The sign shows the purpose of the wooden pole, in case the waste around it doesn't make the use apparent.

Unfortunately, Valencians are known for not picking up dog waste, so it collects in these dog areas, in tree boxes, and even scattered along sidewalks. Dog owners in DC, even without these designated areas, pick up waste much more frequently.

Visitors to our National Mall often seek shade, refreshments and restrooms. All of them can be hard to find on a hot summer day, especially the latter. Valencia has a long east-west park created in the riverbed of where the Turia River used to flow. The long strip of parkland, multiuse paths, cafes, playgrounds and tourist attractions is dotted with some public restrooms.

Cartoon signs direct visitors to these restrooms. These graphically descriptive restroom signs appear in sets of three: girls, boys and persons with disabilities.

Citations for double parking in Valencia don't come cheaply: 200 Euros with a 50 percent discount for prompt payment. Nevertheless, you'll see double parking along business strips outside the central business district. Police generally will not ticket for cars double parked as long as they don't block a crosswalk, bus stop or no parking zone.

There is one non-negotiable condition for double parking: the car must be left in neutral with the parking brake off. That space in front of the red car (below) is there intentionally. If someone needs to pull out of a blocked space, they will push the double parked cars until there is a gap so that the blocked car can pull out.

Would this be a suitable solution for church or event parking on the flat areas of DC? Would you be willing to leave your car so that others could roll it forwards or backwards?

Double parking does not make Valencia a free parking utopia. Residents use collective trash dumpsters and recycling bins instead of individual cans. The trade-off is simple: parking spaces.

On nearly every block, anywhere from one to four parking spaces is consumed by the shared waste containers. On the plus side, there is never a need to lug heavy trash cans to the curb and remove them according to a set schedule. In DC, it takes a permit to even put a storage container in a public parking space.

Street markets are a common sight in Valencia even during the week. They tend to be staggered from one neighborhood to the next so that there is one within a reasonable walk or bus ride. Clear signs advise residents that parking is prohibited on either side of the street along the market routes. Some of the larger markets may wind along five or six city blocks.

DC has a growing collection of farmer's markets. Is there also room for non-food markets selling clothing, toys and household goods?

For drivers who want pedestrians to live up to their end of the safety equation, Valencia has an answer.

A sign reminds pedestrians of their safety obligation on the near side of the intersection. When you press the button to request a walk sign, a red reminder lights up to wait for the green (walk) signal on the far side of the intersection. This creates a second reminder that it is not yet time to cross the street.

The DC region has the more traditional walk and don't walk signals at intersections. Would a second reminder make a difference for pedestrians?

For drivers, there is a second reminder, too. On the far side of intersections and traffic circles, where cars cross a crosswalk after turning, there is a pair of yellow flashing lights at the crosswalk. It is rare to see a driver do anything other than fully stop at these flashing lights when pedestrians are crossing or preparing to cross.

The law across the DC region is on the pedestrian's side. Nevertheless, some drivers try to squeeze between the pedestrians in a crosswalk on the far side of an intersection.

Crosswalks in the DC region vary from thick, high-visibility markings with the direction of traffic to the park of thin lines perpendicular to the direction of traffic. For pedestrians and drivers alike, the appearance of a crosswalk ranges from very clearly visible at a distance to a set of lines that could be confused with a stop line.

Every crosswalk in Valencia is painted with the thick, high visibility lines. Everyone knows what to expect whether crossing a busy wide road or a narrow residential street.

Nobody likes gridlock. Everybody wonders why it happens. In DC, some intersections have "Don't Block the Box" signage. Valencia puts a very visible yellow crosshatch pattern across entire intersections with the potential for gridlock problems.

Like the WMATA Metro serving the DC region, Metro Valencia has a clean, simple system map and a more detailed street map. The detailed map shows the exact location of all nearby valenbisi bike share locations, further integrating bus, rail and bike.

Could WMATA add the Capital Bikeshare stations to its maps? Or, are the locations still evolving too rapidly to keep up with the changes?

A collection of narrow, one-way residential streets have been marked with sharrows. A second set of reminders labels the street as "ciclocalle" and reminds all users of the speed limit. Would this extra signage help all road users in the DC area? Or, are the sharrows road markings sufficient to indicate the sharing intent?

Valencia boasts over 200 stations for its valenbisi bike sharing program. Subscribers don't need to carry an extra card or device to charge out a bike as necessary for Capital Bikeshare. Instead, same MOBILIS card used to pay for bus rides is also linked to the valenbisi account. Could WMATA and Capital Bikeshare integrate their two systems in a similar manner?

Which of these ideas might work across the greater Washington region? Would some be more suitabile either exclusively inside or outside the DC central business district? Which ones shed new light on old problems? Which ones could drive residents, commuters or tourists nuts?

22 comments

Remove rush hour parking? Or allow parking all the time? (Jun 2, 2011)
Arlington County installs new bike signal on Custis Trail (May 21, 2011)
6,400 bike boxes overnight (Oct 20, 2009)
Relocate bus stops to save time (Jan 21, 2010)
Get rid of NY Ave's freeway signs (Dec 8, 2008)

Exercising her right to pee

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:16:00 EDT

by Joshua Davis

Yesterday Malcolm Kenton posted about the lack of public restrooms. Another issue is that many locations make it too hard to use bathrooms. One blogger recounts her encounter with a "bathroom bouncer" who demanded she present a receipt, even though her boyfriend was in the process of ordering. (Chele's Blog)

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For walkability, install public privies

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:10:00 EDT

by Malcolm Kenton

There are many amenities that residents of a major city in the developed world should be able to take for granted, and one basic and often-overlooked aspect of infrastructure that is severely lacking in most US cities is the public restroom.

A London public toilet blends in with the streetscape. Photo by Jennifer Dickert on Flickr.

A stunning graphic appeared in the September/October 2007 issue of GOOD Magazine showing how inferior major US cities are compared to their European, Asian and even African counterparts in terms of the availability of restrooms open to all.

Although this chart does not include Washington, it is doubtful that DC would rank much higher than Boston and Los Angeles.

Last April, Lynda Laughlin surveyed DC's privy problems. She articulated how safe, clean, widely-available public WCs enhance the livability and walkability of a city, especially for people with medical conditions that result in needing to go more often than most.

She highlights the Baltimore-based American Restroom Association, a spunky little advocacy group you've probably never heard of, which is doing its part to raise much-needed awareness of the issue. The next task is to identify and address the obstacles that prevent the District and other local jurisdictions from putting a good public toilet network in place.

Paris is among the cities that has pioneered the use of small, on-street, pay-per-use public toilets that thoroughly clean themselves after each use. This simple, elegant design avoids the need to pay staff to clean and monitor a restroom. They can even be equipped with weight sensors or security cameras to deter illicit activity.

A network of such toilets could easily pay for itself in little time even by charging as little as a quarter per use. Payment could be made inserting coins, swiping a credit card, or by touching a card to a sensor, perhaps a SmarTrip or Capital Bikeshare card.

Homeless people could be given free access to the toilets through tokens or pre-paid cards, thus greatly cutting down on public urination and defecation. Using the toilets as advertising space is another way to defray the costs.

While many Americans may find the concept of paying to use the john to be anathema, the truth is that you already pay part of the cost to maintain the restrooms at any shop or restaurant you visit, even if you don't use them. When push comes to shove, I doubt most people would balk at paying a quarter to be able to relieve themselves.

Residents and visitors of a cosmopolitan city should not be made to feel like outcasts, be forced to buy something, or need to traipse into a hotel, museum or other large public building just to attend to an elemental human need. Let's start talking toilets and encouraging local governments to follow San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles and start installing public toilets in areas with high pedestrian traffic.

66 comments

When you gotta go, where do you go? (Apr 28, 2009)
Westwood Station (Jan 21, 2006)
What will Saudi Arabia's new cities look like? (Jan 22, 2008)
Washington's good streets and bad streets (Jul 11, 2007)
Around the network: A failure of design in downtown New Haven (Jun 19, 2009)

When you gotta go, where do you go?

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:26:00 EDT

by Lynda Laughlin

We've all been there. You're out and about, and then suddenly, you need a restroom. When I leave home to go on a walk or run an errand, I keep a mental map of the closest available restrooms. I usually rely on restrooms in commercial businesses, largely because it is difficult to find public restrooms in the District.

Public urinal in Amsterdam. Photo by mvcorks.

Access to public restrooms is more than a matter of convenience. It is also an issue of public health and key to creating a comfortable, walkable, livable city.

The availability of public restrooms enables people to leave their cars at home and commute on foot and on mass transit. Public restrooms significantly cut down on the public urination and defecation and make our downtown streets much more inviting.

The American Restroom Association suggests that every incorporated municipal district, city, or town should provide access to restrooms for the public at all times of the day and at any time of the year. Jurisdictions that are unable to provide dedicated public facilities should allow the public access to public toilet facilities in government buildings that are continually operational, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.

Not all public restrooms are alike. The choice of facility depends on existing infrastructure, available management options, maintenance budgets, and overall population size. Here are examples of the most common facility types:

Automatic Public Toilets (APT): These are self-cleaning units. The cleaning process takes about 50 seconds: the toilet bowl swivels and is disinfected. The floor of the unit is jet sprayed and the seat is dried with a big blower. Doors are times to open after 10 minutes to limit extended use.
Many cities across the world use APTs, including Singapore, London, and Athens. Units are currently being tested in several US cities: Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, New York, San Antonio, Atlanta, San Diego, and Pittsburgh.
Open Space Comfort Stations: This type of facility is typically a freestanding building with separate washrooms for men and women. Traditional comfort stations are made of bricks and mortar can still be found in historic sections of Portland, New Orleans, and Cincinnati. Instead of building a freestanding restroom from scratch, several companies now offer prefabricated "brick & mortar" restrooms. They are often the least expensive public restroom solution and are designed against vandalism.

Women's restroom at MLK Library. Photo by Lynda Laughlin.
Restrooms in Public Buildings: No doubt a number of us rely on bathrooms in publicly owned buildings such as libraries, museums, etc. I have more than once used the bathrooms at MLK library or the ~~American Portrait Museum~~ National Portrait Gallery largely because the access to other restrooms in the Chinatown area is largely limited to restaurants. However, access is generally limited and other public buildings such as court houses, police and fire stations typically restrict public access for security reasons.
As an experiment, Portland, Oregon opened city hall to the public for 24 hours. The experiment produced mixed results. Many residents appreciated the increased access, but objected to the increased security costs relative to the low volume of users.
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Porta-potties. Photo by ghbrett.
Portable Sanitation Units (PSUs): Using a porta-potty, porta-john, or a porta-loo is not what must of us would consider a satisfactory bathroom experience. Their main appeal is that they are low cost because they do not need to be connected to a sewer system and they are easy to install and move around at a moments notice. Many Washingtonians became more familiar with porta-potties back in January when 5,000 were placed along Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall for the Presidential Inauguration.
However, porta-potties do not necessarily have to be restricted to large public events (or construction sites). PSUs are ideal for cyclists, walkers and joggers in park areas. It is rare to find PSUs in retail areas because of their unattractiveness and well, smell. In the Netherlands, in retail areas, four-urinal portable units are often used to meet restroom needs. My guess is that DC is not ready for such a public display of personal needs. Still, it's better than using the alley.

What's available in DC? What's possible?

Restroom on the National Mall. Photo by Lynda Laughlin.

In the District, public restroom options are limited. If you are at the National Mall, your best chance of finding a restroom is to pop into one of the many museums. There are free standing restroom facilities located on the west end of the National Mall maintained by the National Park Service.

Public restrooms are also available in a number of public parks across the District. However, safety and cleanliness are often a concern as well as the lack of access at certain hours and times of the year. The redeveloped public park at 14th and Girard, NW will include two freestanding restrooms, adding to the list of options besides in the area.

While I have yet to actually see one, there are about 78 restrooms in the Metro rail system. According the American Restroom Association, access to restrooms in Metro rail stations has been an ongoing battle. Citing security concerns, Metro has often kept restrooms in stations closed to customers. It wasn't until recently that Metro put up signs notifying customers that restrooms are available, but only upon request.

Photo by Lynda Laughlin.

Another source of restrooms in the District is retail stores. The bathrooms at the Target in Columbia Heights are easy to access and usually clean. However, businesses typically restrict their restrooms to paying customers. In areas with heavy pedestrian traffic like Columbia Heights, Dupont Circle or Gallery Place, if restaurants and other businesses welcome one person to use their restroom they will most likely soon be welcoming everyone, creating a steady parade of people walking through to use the facilities and most likely creating an unpleasant atmosphere for customers.

Advocating for Public Restrooms

Planners should pay more attention to ways public restrooms can enhance urban livability. However planning for restrooms in public areas in most American cities has not received that attention that it deserves. PHLUSH, an advocacy group for public restrooms in Portland, Oregon has led the charge for public restrooms, increasing access to restrooms in downtown Portland as well as honoring local toilet innovators.

Advocating for more public restrooms can be tricky. People are often too embarrassed to report difficulties finding a restroom, even though it is a common problem for all of us. The increased availability of public restrooms would benefit property owners, retailers, social service providers, health officials, tourism boards, mass transit authorities, pedestrian and cycling advocates and downtown workers and residents, it's just a matter of getting all them all to realize that public toilets are in their own best interest.

As residents of the District, it is time that we reflect on our shared need for comfort and dignity and think of practical ways to improve access to and availability of public restrooms.

39 comments

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