Writing in Greater Greater Washington, Jonathan Katz-Ouziel describes the furor around Washington, D.C.’s Throne public bathrooms, a set of six modular restrooms installed around the District. “At the beginning of July, a budget lapse meant that the Thrones lost funding and were closed off to public access. In DC, where we already suffer from a chronic shortage of public restrooms, the closure, though only of six facilities, struck a nerve.”
For Katz-Ouziel, the conversation around public bathrooms should go beyond availability to also include accessibility and usability. Restrooms should be available in convenient locations, free, and without burdensome requirements such as using an app to open it (or, in the case of Throne, having to text a number). They should have accessibility features that are regularly maintained, and stalls that are sized comfortably for people in wheelchairs or with mobility issues.
Katz-Ouziel writes that Throne shouldn’t be the only restroom provider in D.C. “Other long-term solutions may include expanding restroom availability in parks, adding additional restrooms in libraries and municipal facilities, or providing funding for public restroom construction and provision on private land.”…