New York City council members and activists attended a “free to pee” rally in front of city hall on Sept. 26, advocating for more and better public restrooms.
“We all have needed to use a public bathroom before. Not only does this create a public health and hygiene issue, but the lack of public bathrooms creates a serious barrier to who can engage fully in city life,” tweeted New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse, who was at the rally.
A report released in September by the New York City Council found that 68 out of 102 public restrooms they visited had health or safety issues or were closed.
The report found that 23% of restrooms had unsanitary conditions, such as bodily fluids on surfaces, 19% had graffiti on walls and other surfaces, and litter was observed in nearly 40% of restrooms.
Nearly 30% of the restrooms lacked garbage cans and only 8% had menstrual products.
At Bryant Park, restroom users had to line up in two separate lines on the street before entering the restrooms.In the women’s restroom, menstrual products were locked up inside a shelf. A sign in the restroom indicated that people should ask staff when they needed these products.
But when asked about the menstrual product, Dashawn Battle, a park staff member who directs people into the restroom, said sometimes people will need to wait for at least 15 minutes because the staff is rotating or on break.
In Madison Square Park, a portable restroom with one station that charges 25 cents is the only one around. The nearest restroom, free of charge, is the one in the McDonald’s across the street, which is a 15-minute walk from the park.
Many New Yorkers who can’t hold it have little choice but to urinate in public.
According to the Mayor’s Management report released in September 2024, public urination summonses have increased approximately 46 percent compared to the 2023 fiscal year.
“There’s only 1 public bathroom per 7,500 residents in NYC. That’s not right. Because, when you have to go, you gotta go,” tweeted the Coalition for the Homeless on X.
“This is a topic that gets discussed often, but never resolved,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer, Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigation, in a press release.
“Many of the restrooms would benefit greatly from simple fixes, such as replacing sinks or toilets. Others need much more. I urge the Administration to allocate funding for necessary bathroom upgrades,” said Brewer in the statement.
“I think it’s very important to have menstrual products in public spaces,” said Dr. Marni Sommer, a professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health who focuses on Maternal and Reproductive Health as her research interest. “Because if you’re deep in Central Park and you get your period, there’s no drugstore you can run to and find products nearby. You don’t really have an option. So having them there freely, low cost, maintained, well stocked, not running out of maintenance, is something very important.”
“Most Park restrooms close around 4 p.m., which is crazy because our bladders and stuff don’t close, and we still have to go no matter what,” said Teddy Siegel, the founder of Got2go, a social media account dedicated to sharing accessible bathroom locations throughout New York City.
For women, it’s not only an access issue but also a safety issue when standing outside waiting for bathrooms at night.
Siegel said she once heard story from a 26 year old New Yorker who was in a CVS holding a box of tampons that she just brought and begging to use the restroom and was still told no.
Lack of access to park restrooms not only affects people who menstruate but also many people who are unhoused.
“I’ve heard they stop eating or drinking past a certain time because they know they’re not going to find a bathroom at night,” said Siegel.
The committee also held a hearing to push two bills, including opening up more bathrooms in municipal buildings to the public and creating a citywide bathrooms network in the long term, on the same day at the city council meeting to improve the potential accessibility of public restrooms.
“Access to clean and accessible bathrooms in New York City should not be a luxury. Too often, residents and visitors have to plead with business owners for bathroom access, sometimes being forced to make unnecessary purchases just to use the facilities,” said council member Rita C. Joseph at the hearing.