In negative 20 degrees Centigrade, imagine being in need of a washroom or a restroom, or a toilet as it is called in the other side of the world, and all available businesses with washrooms say no because you have no money to pretend to be a customer and public washrooms far away.
Last week, two African American men in Philadelphia, USA, were arrested after a Starbucks manager called the police on them. They tried to use the washroom but were rejected for not buying anything from the coffee chain. Sitting without any purchase, and rejecting any calls to leave by the manager, she called the police. This brings to the attention of the public, the issue of public washroom use in cities across the world, which, in this case, was connected to the sensitive issue of race.
If you have a nature call in Edmonton, your best bet is to use the washroom in the public library, a nearby mall if there is any nearby. Whyte Avenue in Edmonton is fashioned with a public washroom – good. You may also pretend to be a customer and jump into any of the businesses such as a restaurant or a coffee chain. Most coffee chains and restaurants in Edmonton have a policy to only give you the keys to their washrooms if you show a receipt that you purchase something from them. Some even have big bold signs, “NO PUBLIC WASHROOMS”.
Public washrooms are expensive to maintain. Some employees and business owners relish cleaning up after people who do not contribute to their bottom-line. As with any problem, there must be a way out.
Feargus O’Sullivan’s article in CityLab shares that in Germany, the country’s Nette Toilette (“Nice Toilet”) system has created a compromise between public and private restrooms. German cities pay businesses a small monthly fee from USD 33 to USD 110 a month to open up their restrooms for the general public. These businesses then put a sticker in their window to let the public know that they are welcome to use their facilities even if they are not buying. First launched in 2000 and now including 210 member cities (including some in Switzerland), the network is a private one that charges participating cities a modest fee to use their branding. Sixteen years in, it’s still on a roll.
This seems like a good modele for other cities. Will you recommend the German model to your city?
