@jajo I used "toilets" because the euphemisms for "toilet" vary a lot in the Anglophone world and I didn't want to enumerate them. I used "street toilets" because in many place a "public washroom" may mean shared office washrooms, or other configurations that aren't actually open to the general public.
There are lots of "green" equipment which I assume you are talking about. Used for takin care of the waste. It has become so efficient so you are not obliged to connect it to a VAC (is it called that?) system.
Hey, all. My answer is yes. Here's my reasoning: part of the Transition is moving to more active transportation, like walking and biking. But a trip that takes 10 minutes in a car can take 40 minutes on foot. People need to pee every 1.5 to 3 hours, so there's a much better chance that you're going to need to go to the bathroom on a walking trip than on a driving trip. You're covering more of the window.
I understand how you resonate. I answered "Yes, but...." and the reason to that is that need to get rid of the feces. There you have a large options of what is possible. The easy way or the more envintorial way.
Simple Restroom no, but with a shaded restarea, drinkinkwater fountain yes? Or if in a place where the alternative is inacceptable littering (nature reserve o.e.). Though they really are a necessity
Hey, all. My answer is yes. Here's my reasoning: part of the Transition is moving to more active transportation, like walking and biking. But a trip that takes 10 minutes in a car can take 40 minutes on foot. People need to pee every 1.5 to 3 hours, so there's a much better chance that you're going to need to go to the bathroom on a walking trip than on a driving trip. You're covering more of the window.
For someone driving, if they are in the car and they get the urge, there are a lot of services set up to cater to them: gas stations, minimarts, fast food restaurants. And in a car, the time required for a detour is much lower. If you're on foot, on the other hand, you have to identify a place to use, like a cafe or restaurant, and maybe make a purchase just to get access to the restrooms.
Public toilets make cities more walkable. Cities that are working on the Transition need to consider opportunities for making toilets available to pedestrians and bikers.
Besides encouraging active transportation, public toilets just make people feel like they're part of something bigger. That the city they live in recognises their basic needs and is competent enough to accommodate those needs. It's great for social cohesion.
Well said — it’s such a simple piece of infrastructure, but it really communicates respect and care for the people who live in or visit a city. A small investment with a huge impact on dignity and community. 🚲🚶♀️🚻
Fun fact: Rotary International is responsible for the first public toilets in Chicago in 1907. Back then "the city they live in" wasn't into the biz of public comfort, or sanitation.
A lot of the public infrastructure that people take for granted today is the result of service clubs formed at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th centuries.
Jan Johannesson
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Jan Johannesson • • •@jajo evanp.me/pollfaq#define
I'd recommend
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_t…
And
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_in…
If the topic seems obscure and you don't feel like muddling through it, please feel free to skip the poll!
sustainable and resilient infrastructure
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)Jan Johannesson
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Jan Johannesson • • •Jan Johannesson
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Jan Johannesson • • •@jajo here's my reasoning:
cosocial.ca/@evan/115126657072…
Evan Prodromou
2025-09-01 02:22:55
Jan Johannesson
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Travis Scott
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Jef Poskanzer
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Geoff Coffey
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Geoff Coffey • • •AngbarerAlchimist
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Or if in a place where the alternative is inacceptable littering (nature reserve o.e.).
Though they really are a necessity
Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua reshared this.
Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •My city, Montreal, is notoriously lacking in public toilet infrastructure:
cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/go…
rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua reshared this.
Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •There's some work to open up more of the toilets on private property to public use:
montrealcentreville.ca/en/what…
P'tit Coin, the network of public washrooms downtown | Montréal centre-ville
Alicia Orlowski (OmnicomMediaGroup)Evan Prodromou
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Nichole Logan
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Chris Neklason
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Fun fact: Rotary International is responsible for the first public toilets in Chicago in 1907. Back then "the city they live in" wasn't into the biz of public comfort, or sanitation.
A lot of the public infrastructure that people take for granted today is the result of service clubs formed at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th centuries.
californialocal.com/localnews/…
Evan Prodromou
in reply to Chris Neklason • • •Bicycling Monterey 💚🌎🌍🌏
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Rest Stops: People who bike, walk, or otherwise get about sometimes just need to “sit a spell” | Bicycling Monterey | Resources for Anywhere & Monterey County Biking Information Hub
bikemonterey.orgSean Coates
in reply to Evan Prodromou • • •Related: did you know about the lost public bathrooms?
(Edit: maybe covered in that podcast episode; I didn’t listen (yet).)
montrealgazette.com/news/artic…
Evan Prodromou
in reply to Sean Coates • • •