Public Toilets

[seasideBill]

It’s been a while since we had a toilet thread…. I was reading a recent article on the BBC website which set me thinking. One of the great benefits of owning a motorhome is you take your toilet with you. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find public toilets and more-and-more we have to rely on cafes and the like. It seems that in the UK this is now discouraged by many owners for understandable reasons. But in continental Europe, generally speaking, it’s ok to just walk in and use the private facilities. It tends not to be abused and there is no drama or feeling that you need to creep in unobserved. Is that the that the experience of others when out & about abroad? Having to pay £4 for a coffee in return for a pee, and top up your bladder is ridiculous. As a man of a certain age I’m a slave to an enlarged prostate which requires a certain degree of planning when out & about in unfamiliar places with few trees. I’d be interested to know how others cope?

'I don't want to buy a £4 coffee just so I can use the loo' - BBC News

Should cafés let people who don't buy anything use their toilets?

www.bbc.com

 

[swemmy666]

in terms of emptying and topping up, try expresso

 

[Reallyretired]

Generally find France has more public bogs than we have. The 'where is public toilet' app is useful both in UK and France though doesn't seem to have any elsewhere.

 

[carolyn]

Most independent cafes only have one loo so I can understand why they keep it for customers only. Towns in the UK your best bet is usually a supermarket. Very glad I’m Mrs camel bladder though!

Public loos are usually disgusting, probably the only time I consider being a man might be better

 

[dryad]

I will stay fit to bursting rather than use a public loo, made even harder when a disabled loo is needed, there’s nothing like the comfort of your own loo in van or home..

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[PaulW2]

Paywalled, but the headline gives the gist I expect: "The death of the public toilet is the death of a civilised society."

The death of the public toilet is the death of a civilised society

Remember the good old days? Clean air, green fields and free lavatories as far as the eye could see – now we have to sneak into a pub

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Brains]

I have said for many years that the solution in keep open the existing public loos, and to actually increase the number of public loos is, like in Victorian times, make them chargeable.

Hence 'Spend a penny' (for entry) or 'Tuppence' is you wanted 'bumf' (loo paper)
(Which taking inflation over the last 150 years into account, 1d is somewhere between 50p and £1)

It's normal to pay €0.50 in public loos in mainland Europe, and most of them are modern and clean.

Imagine a nationwide (semi-subsidised?) company,
given all the old public loos that were on every high street,
to get them up to spec, have an attendant, and change the same flat fee across the country, around £1 a visit.
I think in the long term you could make money, (or at least cover more than the costs).

You can judge to quality of a country by the quality of its public loos and prisons.
I'd suggest the UK is now in the bottom quarter in Europe, I'm sure Albania, Serbia, Rumania and Transdniestria must all be worse.

 

[meanders]

I agree about the loss of public loo's. Most places will let you use if you ask nicely. Always happy to pay a £1 or drop it in the charity box that is usually around. .

It was £2 to use the ones in Harrods some years back. Haven't been back since. Sadly no longer the excellent shop it once was!

Public loos are usually disgusting, probably the only time I consider being a man might be better

Having done a few stints cleaning loo's for the village hall, and other organisations, plus having to go into a few ladies loo's over the years as the Gents was shut, I have to advise the Gents is, in my experience, orders of magnitude worse that the ladies. Often describe it as gruesome. Wash you hands then struggle to get the inward opening door open without touching the handle. Why do they always open in? If they opened out, you use the handle before you wash your hands, and can use your shoulder to push it open to get out. Also means in the event of a fire alarm, the door goes the right way for a rapid exit?

 

[The Old Man]

I believe it is Starbucks Company Policy to make their loos available at no charge.

Certainly every manageress in the branch I use has an 'Open House' and before it closed the Mermaid Quay branch was entertaining in that, on race days the queue for the loos was three times as long as that for a drink.

I chatted with the manageress about it, for interest, she said, "One day they may remember this and become a customer!"

From another direction wasn't there a government or Council plan to pay retail outlets to give public access to their loos?

 

[seasideBill]

I agree about the loss of public loo's. Most places will let you use if you ask nicely. Always happy to pay a £1 or drop it in the charity box that is usually around. .

It was £2 to use the ones in Harrods some years back. Haven't been back since. Sadly no longer the excellent shop it once was!

Having done a few stints cleaning loo's for the village hall, and other organisations, plus having to go into a few ladies loo's over the years as the Gents was shut, I have to advise the Gents is, in my experience, orders of magnitude worse that the ladies. Often describe it as gruesome. Wash you hands then struggle to get the inward opening door open without touching the handle. Why do they always open in? If they opened out, you use the handle before you wash your hands, and can use your shoulder to push it open to get out. Also means in the event of a fire alarm, the door goes the right way for a rapid exit?

Can never understand the state of the floor around urinals… there’s a perfectly good receptacle to pee in, but many seem to just pop it out and spray in whatever direction they happen to be facing.

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[seasideBill]

I believe it is Starbucks Company Policy to make their loos available at no charge.

Not any longer.

 

[Barriesimpson]

Can never understand the state of the floor around urinals… there’s a perfectly good receptacle to pee in, but many seem to just pop it out and spray in whatever direction they happen to be facing.

Unfortunately, the majority of humans are no more than animals these days. I always treat a public toilet as if it was my own, at home, I do the same with rented vehicles, treat it as if it were mine. Sadly we seem to have lost the respect and empathy towards our fellow members of the race.

 

[meanders]

I always treat a public toilet as if it was my own, at home

You are brave. I will touch anything in my own toilet at home. I touch the absolute bare minimum in public toilets even in those that appear clean. Unlike, it seems the majority of men, I also always wash my hands or use a wet wipe or similar if there is no water at eth basins.

 

[Barriesimpson]

You are brave. I will touch anything in my own toilet at home. I touch the absolute bare minimum in public toilets even in those that appear clean. Unlike, it seems the majority of men, I also always wash my hands or use a wet wipe or similar if there is no water at eth basins.

Yes, absolutely, I meant in my behaviour using it. Of course I am careful about what I touch.

 

[TONCAZ]

I believe it is Starbucks Company Policy to make their loos available at no charge.

Certainly every manageress in the branch I use has an 'Open House' and before it closed the Mermaid Quay branch was entertaining in that, on race days the queue for the loos was three times as long as that for a drink.

I chatted with the manageress about it, for interest, she said, "One day they may remember this and become a customer!"

From another direction wasn't there a government or Council plan to pay retail outlets to give public access to their loos?

Mac D's have a free toilet policy as well, use them all the time....

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

I have said for many years that the solution in keep open the existing public loos, and to actually increase the number of public loos is, like in Victorian times, make them chargeable.

Hence 'Spend a penny' (for entry) or 'Tuppence' is you wanted 'bumf' (loo paper)
(Which taking inflation over the last 150 years into account, 1d is somewhere between 50p and £1)

It's normal to pay €0.50 in public loos in mainland Europe, and most of them are modern and clean.

Imagine a nationwide (semi-subsidised?) company,
given all the old public loos that were on every high street,
to get them up to spec, have an attendant, and change the same flat fee across the country, around £1 a visit.
I think in the long term you could make money, (or at least cover more than the costs).

You can judge to quality of a country by the quality of its public loos and prisons.
I'd suggest the UK is now in the bottom quarter in Europe, I'm sure Albania, Serbia, Rumania and Transdniestria must all be worse.

I take your assertion.In the U.S.A. you have to pay to visit the National Parks, and the tickets are mostly dedicated to each park. Generally about $30.00. I wonder how well that would go down with elements of our population?
Mike.

 

[seasideBill]

Mac D's have a free toilet policy as well, use them all the time....

Unless it’s changed, not everywhere, some print an entry code on your till receipt.

 

[Verteuil Man]

The main problem is that John Prescott removed the Statutory Law that mandated Councils to provide public toilets. So they don't.

 

[meanders]

Of course if everyone respected the facilities provided, no-one would object to them being used. Unfortunately, there seems to be a largish section of the population that do not.

 

[busby]

I have said for many years that the solution in keep open the existing public loos, and to actually increase the number of public loos is, like in Victorian times, make them chargeable.

Hence 'Spend a penny' (for entry) or 'Tuppence' is you wanted 'bumf' (loo paper)
(Which taking inflation over the last 150 years into account, 1d is somewhere between 50p and £1)

It's normal to pay €0.50 in public loos in mainland Europe, and most of them are modern and clean.

Imagine a nationwide (semi-subsidised?) company,
given all the old public loos that were on every high street,
to get them up to spec, have an attendant, and change the same flat fee across the country, around £1 a visit.
I think in the long term you could make money, (or at least cover more than the costs).

You can judge to quality of a country by the quality of its public loos and prisons.
I'd suggest the UK is now in the bottom quarter in Europe, I'm sure Albania, Serbia, Rumania and Transdniestria must all be worse.

Friend of mine..and she's not short of money would pee her pants than pay for a public toilet..She will die a very rich women...BUSBY.

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[Brains]

I take your assertion.In the U.S.A. you have to pay to visit the National Parks, and the tickets are mostly dedicated to each park. Generally about $30.00. I wonder how well that would go down with elements of our population?
Mike.

Not quite the same.
The UK National Parks have large resident populations and are mostly arable land in daily use, not massive pristine wilderness areas.

The UK equivalent of charging for access to the National Parks would be to introduce a nightly Tourist Tax on all accommodation.
Which is also widely done in mainland Europe and has recently been introduced in some areas of Scotland.

Someone has to pay to maintain the public loos
And a lot more of them need to be built.
Every parade of more than 15-20 shops should have one
Every village centre should have one.

With a countrywide flat fee (reviewed every year) it would encourage more use and more new building and decent well maintained facilities. (It would also create jobs)

 

[donkey]

I am not a clean freak, but just do not understand the rational behind the placement of door handles in public/supermarket and the like toilets.
On the way in one can open the door using an elbow or knee, but on the way out you have to grab a handle to open the door. OK if everyone has washed their hands, but most do not appear to do so.

Geoff

 

[meanders]

I am not a clean freak, but just do not understand the rational behind the placement of door handles in public/supermarket and the like toilets.
On the way in one can open the door using an elbow or knee, but on the way out you have to grab a handle to open the door. OK if everyone has washed their hands, but most do not appear to do so.

Geoff

See post #8. We agree.

 

[meanders]

Taking the side of the ladies for a moment, why do so many architects make ladies and gents loos the same physical size spaces so the blokes could have a dance but the lasses have to queue. I got it corrected in the design for our village hall but the original design had the same size rooms. The gents would have three cubicles plus two urinals and three basins and the ladies had three cubicles and three basins.

After my challenge the space was adjusted so the ladies got 4 cubicles and 4 basins, and the blokes got 2 urinals and one cubical. Still get queues during events, especially film night interval, at the ladies although we steer them also to the accessible toilet and baby change of not in use.

But the number of times you see it, the architects obviously are mainly men.

 

[Barriesimpson]

Taking the side of the ladies for a moment, why do so many architects make ladies and gents loos the same physical size spaces so the blokes could have a dance but the lasses have to queue. I got it corrected in the design for our village hall but the original design had the same size rooms. The gents would have three cubicles plus two urinals and three basins and the ladies had three cubicles and three basins.

After my challenge the space was adjusted so the ladies got 4 cubicles and 4 basins, and the blokes got 2 urinals and one cubical. Still get queues during events, especially film night interval, at the ladies although we steer them also to the accessible toilet and baby change of not in use.

But the number of times you see it, the architects obviously are mainly men.

No, you have it all wrong. Us guys go to the toilet alone (we are not afraid), whereas you women go 2 or 3 together (only you know why?) so the resulting overload is you own fault. I am now hiding so that thrown rocks do not hit my head

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[meanders]

Have you ever thought you might become a target of abuse?

 

[pat100]

So they have someone to talk to while queuing?

 

[swemmy666]

I am not a clean freak, but just do not understand the rational behind the placement of door handles in public/supermarket and the like toilets.
On the way in one can open the door using an elbow or knee, but on the way out you have to grab a handle to open the door. OK if everyone has washed their hands, but most do not appear to do so.

Geoff

we all see it regular, man from cubical straight to exit door

 

[Landy Andy]

Why have men’s and women’s? Cubicles and urinals makes far more sense. It’s about time we moved on.

 

[meanders]

Because an awful lot of UK women feel threatened in shared facilities. I know on the continent it's not an issue. Not sure with the current high occurrence of men abusing and killing women that now is the time to tell them its time they moved on.

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