NYC Council passes bill requiring 1,000 more public bathrooms
The New York City Council has passed a bill requiring the mayor to add roughly 1,000 public bathrooms across the city by 2035.
Right now, there is only one public bathroom for every 7,820 residents.
"Everybody deserves to be able to use a private space to use the bathroom"
Councilmember Sandy Nurse, who proposed the bill, says the need for a city-run public bathroom network is long overdue.
"Everybody deserves to be able to use a private space to use the bathroom that's clean and that's functional and maintained, and that is the task of the city," Nurse said.
Last summer, Mayor Eric Adams launched a Google Map showcasing the city's current public restrooms, but there's only around 1,100 public toilets for 8.6 million residents.
According to the bill, the network is set to be led by the mayor and multiple agencies, including parks and recreation and city planning.
While adding thousands of public restrooms to the city network sounds appealing to most New Yorkers, many are questioning who will be responsible for keeping them clean?
"There are some toilets that are automated cleaning, like they clean themselves," Nurse said. "There's going to be private-public partnerships involved in this where the city might incentivize a private building or private company to make their space available, and they'll take care of it."
"It could get dirty quickly, you know," Brooklyn resident Alex Grayes said.
Bathroom search a common problem for New Yorkers
Almost every New Yorker has dealt with the problem of searching for a bathroom.
"When you're walking around the city and you need to find a bathroom, what do you usually do?" CBS News New York's Zinnia Maldonado asked Grayes.
"Wait 'til I get home," he said.
"I would love it if there were more bathrooms. I mean, in Europe, there's pay toilets everywhere. Here, I look for a hotel or I have to get a coffee," Upper West Side resident Sheila McDonald said.
"I'll check that [map] first, but if that map isn't working for me or there's nothing nearby ... I actually brought a gym membership almost for the sole purpose that there's multiple locations around the city and I can just swipe in and use the restroom if I need to," Brooklyn resident Leo Hidey said.
Hidey said the new bathroom network would be great.
"It would save me about $33 a month," he said.
