City officials attack lack of public restrooms as they present a bill to begin addressing the problem
New York City- Attacking the lack of public restrooms, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levin and city council members held a press conference in support of bill 258 which would begin the process of installing public restrooms throughout the city.
During the press conference, speakers emphasized that the city’s lack of public restrooms has consequences beyond someone's ability to carry out bodily functions, “for the sake of our public health, for equity, for dignity, we must do better” Levin said.
Despite its size, New York City ranks 93rd out of 100 in number of public restrooms per capita out of the largest cities. With over 8 million residents, there is one public restroom for every 6000 New Yorkers. This disproportionately harms the city’s most vulnerable, including the homeless, elderly, disabled, pregnant and menstruating women, and those with medical conditions. This perpetuates inequalities amongst the city’s diverse population and creates unforeseen consequences for both residents and those visiting.
A series of organizers, activists, and influencers at the press conference highlighted the many problems the lack of restrooms creates.
Tik Tok influencer Teddy Siegel, who runs the page Got2GoNYC, noted that the lack of public restrooms means private businesses’ become people’s only option. This forces people to pay to carry out basic bodily needs, creating the possibility of being turned away. These barriers can often deny the homeless and low income residents access to restrooms and can perpetuate discrimination she noted.
Additionally, a lack of access burdens people’s mobility and transportation. Tourists visiting must search for a business which will allow them entry, impeding the ability to easily traverse the city. For the elderly and disabled who struggle with mobility, they are forced to delay important bodily functions risking their health and limiting their range of travel.
An organizer at the Street Vendor Project, Hannah Talfiq, emphasized the social and economic implications of the city’s lack of public restrooms. She stated that for the many street vendors throughout the city the overwhelming majority had no access to bathrooms. This forces them to travel miles for a restroom during which time they must leave their carts unattended, sometimes well over 30 minutes. This harms these businesses' profits and is a sanitation violation, which can often result in tickets.
The bill at the center of the press conference, Intro 258, is the first stage in installing new public restrooms around the city. If passed, it would require the city to create a report on feasible locations in which to install future facilities. The bill requires locations to be found in every zip code throughout the city with input from community boards.
Levin asserted that the reason for the city’s lack of public restrooms was not funding but a lack of governmental willpower, explaining that future facilities would be funded from advertisements. As proof that governmental inaction is the culprit, he stated that the city already had a contract with JC Deco to install 20 modern self cleaning restrooms though only five have been installed. The rest remain in a warehouse in Queens waiting for installation.
Throughout the press conference, speakers repeated that the lack of public restrooms was a failure of government action to address a fundamental problem facing the city and its residents. This inaction allows inequalities to persist which harms the city’s most vulnerable and that more public restrooms are a necessity for a more equitable and healthy city.
