Public Restroom Initiative

Presentation to AUGS membership, October, 2002

NIH consensus conference on urinary incontinence

One of 6 “general principles of treatment”:

“In particular, availability of adequate numbers of properly constructed public toilets is an important adjunct to incontinence management.”

JAGS 1990; 38: 286

Restroom regulations

• In the workplace: OSHA restroom standard: Employers must make toilet facilities available so that employees can use them when they need to do so.

• ADA: 1991

• “Potty parity” laws

Restroom availability varies widely: some examples

• Atlanta GA: 7-6pm: Public restrooms at Key Station. Customer requests honored at remainder.

• Baltimore MD: Have Restrooms• Boston MA: 8:30-4:30 Restrooms at heavy

rail connectors• Chicago IL: No restrooms - No station

manager policy

Problems exist

• Using public transportation

• Sports fields and parks

• Bicycle paths

• Shopping

• Tourism

• In our schools

Some attempts to help

• Maryland Law Senate Bill 413, signed into law 1987 Each retail establishment with 20 or more employees that has a toilet facility for its employees shall allow use of the facility to any customer who suffers from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or any other inflammatory bowel disease or another medical condition that requires immediate access to a toilet facility; or utilizes an ostomy device.

Some attempts to help

• Illinois Equitable Restrooms Act: The General Assembly finds that an inequitable situation occurs due to delays which women face in the use of restroom facilities when men are rarely required to wait for the same purpose. Rectifying this inequitable situation is a matter of serious public concern.

Illinois Equitable Restrooms Act

• Specifications. A place of public accommodation shall be equipped with the following facilities: (1) At least one women's toilet stall for every 200 persons in the maximum legal capacity of the place of public accommodation. (2) At least one men's toilet stall for every 700 persons in the maximum legal capacity of the place of public accommodation. (3) At least one men's urinal for every 250 persons in the maximum legal capacity of the place of public accommodation.

Northern China, August, 2002

•

Metroped, Inc.http://metroped.org

• “Addressing public policy impediments to pedestrian fitness and transit”

• An advocacy and informational organization for issues outside the scope of mainstream fitness and transportation.

Metroped, Inc.

“In our growing metropolitan areas, people who walk, bike, and exercise face risk and obstacle.   We are particularly concerned with public policy that, either by omission or intent, acts as an impediment to these activities.” 

San Jose “street furniture”

• Caused some problems in SF.

• Board of Supervisors debate: remove to deter prostitution, drug dealing, or keep to provide bathroom access?

Need creative solutions

• No modern commuter transit system would intentionally design a station to preclude use by someone in a wheel chair.  The same philosophy must be applied to the “restroom challenged”.    

Aim of Public Restroom Initiative

• To strengthen and close the gaps in the existing Federal, State and Local toilet availability codes

• Initial aim: create national Model Code addressing need for toilet availability.

• Final aim: Adopt Model Code as a regulation by Congressional mandate or by a federal public health agency

What should AUGS do?

• Raise public and legislative awareness?

• Co-sponsor a model code?

• Lobby for adoption of code as regulation?

• Conduct research into health effects of restrictive bathroom access?

Proposal to membership

• Is AUGS interested at this time in this public health issue?

• If no, we can readdress later.

• If yes, consider development of a task force to develop a more concrete plan to present to Executive Committee for consideration.