NYC has 1 public restroom per 7,820 residents: 'It is tortuous,' advocates say
NEW YORK CITY - New Yorkers and council members rallied at City Hall on Thursday for the expansion of public restrooms across New York City.
The rally took place just before a City Council oversight hearing on two proposed bills aimed at increasing bathroom access across the five boroughs.
"When you gotta go, you gotta go," said VOCAL-NY Leader Nathylin Flowers.
‘Ur in Luck’ program expands bathroom access
It’s a problem we’ve all faced, you have to go but can’t find a public bathroom in the city. Now "Ur in Luck" literally. That’s the name of a new program announced Monday to expand public restroom access. FOX 5 NY’s Kendall Green shows us there’s a new mapping tool and dozens of new bathrooms on the way.
The shortage of bathrooms affects everyone in New York City, but advocates say it has especially serious consequences for vulnerable populations, including the homeless, individuals with health conditions, people with disabilities, children, and others.
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"It is tortuous to have to look for a bathroom, and find you are left between the street or the subway platform. Homeless New Yorkers have taken the lead on this issue, but really it is about quality of life for everyone in New York, especially tourists. It's irresponsible of the city not to provide safe clean bathrooms when we have over a dozen ready to go in storage," Flowers said.
Advocates say many public restrooms are not accessible to those with disabilities. They said that 11% of the city’s population lives in the five boroughs with disabilities – that's 945,456 people.
The number of public bathrooms has not increased since the 1970s when many were closed due to budget cuts, and currently, there is only one public restroom per 7,820 residents in New York.
City Council proposals call for creating and maintaining a citywide public bathroom network, as well as opening restrooms in municipal buildings for public use.
Back in June, Mayor Adams announced the "Ur in Luck" program to expand public restroom access.
A Google Maps layer was launched this summer to help New Yorkers find locations for all public bathrooms easily.
New Yorkers can simply activate this feature on their phones.
"Bathroom access is critically important - as an accessibility issue, a disability justice issue, and a quality of life issue for every single New Yorker," said Council Member Lincoln Restler. "We need more bathrooms - especially more accessible bathrooms - and these bills will help set us on a path to achieving safe, clean public bathroom access for all."