> Kristof and the Times, of course, would prefer a national infrastructure project to provide free toilets. If you've followed this over the years, you will see many efforts at government provided toilets. Costs are often hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the effort falls apart. There are some free toilets. In Chicago, the park district still had some. Without the incentive to charge a bit of money, they were typically disgusting and dangerous.
Most cities and towns already have a large number of free toilets in parks and businesses. Some are privately owned and maintained, some are publicly owned and maintained. There just aren't enough of them (in most US cities). This is clearly a problem that can be solved with a little planning and adequate funding.
And realistically, a root of the cost problem is that one could expect that about 90% of the costs are created by 1% of the users. Bathrooms aren't expensive to operate as long as people don't make a mess. I find it surprising that even working a tech industry job in a building complex populated by generally competent, responsible adults that there are almost always paper towels on the floor of the bathroom. I can understand once in awhile maybe dropping one, or not noticing that it didn't make its way into the waste basket. Or a person with joint or mobility issues might not be able to reach down and pick it up. But still, it's a continuous thing. Why?
Ideally we'd find a way to alter the average person's behavior not to make a mess in the bathroom, but that's easier said than done. I don't know what the right policies there would be that aren't overly intrusive.
No, that's not attainable. You'll always have people with health problems, mobility issues, young children, people with poor aim, and so on who will tend to cause a disproportionate amount of cleanliness issues. But a little more care from everyone would lessen the problem.
> Bathrooms aren't expensive to operate as long as
Read the entire article. You need to hire an attendant or someone who at least cleans regularly. That’s the major cost, especially at $15/hour minimum wage + health benefits + 3 workers per 24-hour day.
You don't need an attendant being there 24/7, why would you? Just regular cleaning ( like every hour/few hours), which can probably be done by few people ( as in a team of two can cover 10 toilets).
Sure that could happen. But it doesn't have to. We already have a lot of public infrastructure: schools, roads, government buildings, parks, and so on. Some of those projects are managed well, and some aren't. Either way, we put up with it because on average the benefits of those things outweigh the costs. Public restrooms aren't fundamentally different from all the other forms of public infrastructure we already have.
Privacy is one. A lot of people don't carry cash, and probably few carry coins anymore. Which means going with electronic payment. Do you want there to be an electronic record of every time you paid to use a restroom?
Another is precedent. If charging for a restroom were allowed, it would likely be done in a lot of places that are currently free. That seems like a step backwards.
A third is that if pay toilets were a big business, then such businesses would have a strong incentive to lobby their local governments against constructing new free bathrooms.
Monetize every biological necessity: it's the American way!
Oxygen, water, food, sleep, sex, socialization, excretion, entertainment, industriousness: 6 out of 8 ain't bad, but those two more are attainable if we change attitudes through a holistic social media and mass marketing campaign.
Most cities and towns already have a large number of free toilets in parks and businesses. Some are privately owned and maintained, some are publicly owned and maintained. There just aren't enough of them (in most US cities). This is clearly a problem that can be solved with a little planning and adequate funding.
And realistically, a root of the cost problem is that one could expect that about 90% of the costs are created by 1% of the users. Bathrooms aren't expensive to operate as long as people don't make a mess. I find it surprising that even working a tech industry job in a building complex populated by generally competent, responsible adults that there are almost always paper towels on the floor of the bathroom. I can understand once in awhile maybe dropping one, or not noticing that it didn't make its way into the waste basket. Or a person with joint or mobility issues might not be able to reach down and pick it up. But still, it's a continuous thing. Why?
Ideally we'd find a way to alter the average person's behavior not to make a mess in the bathroom, but that's easier said than done. I don't know what the right policies there would be that aren't overly intrusive.