We also need shittable cities. It is a massive pain to be out without a public restroom, especially at night when the already slim toilet options get locked up. My best strategy has been going to police stations and bothering a cop for a bathroom key at 1am. If nothing else, it’s funny.
I once turned in a wallet I found on a bench near a police station and the way they spoke to me and asked questions made me never want to enter a police station again. And I’m white.
also fair, and I’ve only done it a couple times. its definitely got a priviledge element to it, but it’s nice to wake up a tired cop to ask for bathroom key if you can swing it.
Shout out to all of the fellow Lemmy people with IBS/IBD who cannot be more than 5 minutes from a bathroom and yet have no right to one in public. It’s a legitimate disability that the ADA does not cover despite more and more people having it. The right to accessible bodily waste disposal should be recognized the world over.
What I mean by this is that the ADA recognizes it as a disability and you can get work accommodations for it, but the ADA does not require access to public bathrooms to be made available. I view it as an accommodation similar to wheelchair ramps on sidewalks or businesses, the law should absolutely change.
Some states have enacted their own policy that allows you to carry and show a card that states your disability and forces businesses to open their restroom to you, even if its employees only. This should be done at the national level though.
I’m not an expert on this btw, this has just been my own experience and research on it having IBD myself.
Absolutely! I don’t even have any bowel related health issues and occasionally find myself in trouble.
The worst was when I used to go running along the river the city I lived in. For years, the public toilet I occasionally used was open 24 hours. Then one day, for no reason and with no notice, they started locking it between 9 pm and 9 am. The day I discovered that was not a good day.
Knowing that I needed ready access to a toilet a few times a month was enough to curtail my running to the point where I just quit.
In more than one way. When I’m out with my dogs I sometimes have to carry their poop for kilometers because my city can’t be bothered to set up some bins along the walkways. The very few that are around are at playgrounds where I’m not allowed to enter with the dogs. And then for whatever reason they realize they’ve got a bunch left and just install five of them at one place.
I hate that many other people don’t pick up after their dogs, but in a way I understand at least some of their frustrations. They’re assholes nonetheless.
This. When I see cities without public restrooms (and not just on the most touristy areas) I just assume that they don’t care about their citizens. It’s such a basic need.
We also need shittable cities. It is a massive pain to be out without a public restroom, especially at night when the already slim toilet options get locked up. My best strategy has been going to police stations and bothering a cop for a bathroom key at 1am. If nothing else, it’s funny.
If that ain’t white privilege I don’t know what is
Yeah, but better to annoy cops with it than gas station employees
I think they live in one of the uncivilized countries that don’t have a free public restroom in every store and in parks and such
Like England
Savages…
I’m american, it’s still hard to find a free toilet in the city sometimes outside of subway stations.
As in they have a “bathrooms for customers only” sign or they have an actual set fee for using the facilities?
yeah, fair
I once turned in a wallet I found on a bench near a police station and the way they spoke to me and asked questions made me never want to enter a police station again. And I’m white.
also fair, and I’ve only done it a couple times. its definitely got a priviledge element to it, but it’s nice to wake up a tired cop to ask for bathroom key if you can swing it.
Shout out to all of the fellow Lemmy people with IBS/IBD who cannot be more than 5 minutes from a bathroom and yet have no right to one in public. It’s a legitimate disability that the ADA does not cover despite more and more people having it. The right to accessible bodily waste disposal should be recognized the world over.
deleted by creator
What I mean by this is that the ADA recognizes it as a disability and you can get work accommodations for it, but the ADA does not require access to public bathrooms to be made available. I view it as an accommodation similar to wheelchair ramps on sidewalks or businesses, the law should absolutely change.
Some states have enacted their own policy that allows you to carry and show a card that states your disability and forces businesses to open their restroom to you, even if its employees only. This should be done at the national level though.
I’m not an expert on this btw, this has just been my own experience and research on it having IBD myself.
I don’t have it, I just need to piss sometimes without a public indecency charge
Absolutely! I don’t even have any bowel related health issues and occasionally find myself in trouble.
The worst was when I used to go running along the river the city I lived in. For years, the public toilet I occasionally used was open 24 hours. Then one day, for no reason and with no notice, they started locking it between 9 pm and 9 am. The day I discovered that was not a good day.
Knowing that I needed ready access to a toilet a few times a month was enough to curtail my running to the point where I just quit.
One of the rare things that America actually does pretty well. There are restrooms in practically every building.
And there are a lot places its just a public bathroom no need to pay. Less true on the coasts till you get to the highways in exp though.
In my personal experience, ~95% are public, though as you said it depends on the area
In more than one way. When I’m out with my dogs I sometimes have to carry their poop for kilometers because my city can’t be bothered to set up some bins along the walkways. The very few that are around are at playgrounds where I’m not allowed to enter with the dogs. And then for whatever reason they realize they’ve got a bunch left and just install five of them at one place.
I hate that many other people don’t pick up after their dogs, but in a way I understand at least some of their frustrations. They’re assholes nonetheless.
This. When I see cities without public restrooms (and not just on the most touristy areas) I just assume that they don’t care about their citizens. It’s such a basic need.