I read somewhere a while back that pay toilets are illegal in the United States and had been ruled as such by the US Supreme Court. Is this true?
I’ve never heard any such thing. It strikes me as unlikely, since I can’t see where a person could be required under the Constitution to make toilets available to strangers for free. I think they’re just not customary.
I don’t know about any court rulings (other than male/female parity related issues), but the model plumbing codes (Uniform Plumbing Code, International Plumbing Code, Standard Plumbing Code) and building codes all require a certain number of plumbing fixtures available for public use in buildings open to the public. These codes are adopted (usually verbatim, with minimal local amendment) by local jurisdictions, which are responsible for their enforcement.
I’ve never heard they were ruled illegal, but I know New York City has had some trouble in the past trying to adopt a pay toilet program like the one in San Francsico.
I don’t know if NYC has been succesful with a similar program or not in more recent years, but San Francisco’s seems to work fine.
New York State outlaws pay toilets in 1975; they were considered discriminatory against women.
We’re talking about pay toilet stalls, and there is a case for that, since women don’t have urinals.* NY City has been trying to allow unisex stalls, but can’t get an exemption from the law.
*Yes, I know Cecil wrote about such things, but they are practically nonexistant these days, and could only be used assuming the woman wore a skirt – not likely.
Oops, yes, stalls. Not the toilets themselves.
I’ve never heard of a pay toilet, legal or otherwise. Do they exist anywhere?
Interesting to speculate on what constitutional article or amendment a pay toilet would contravene.
I could sworn that Cecil addressed this, but if so, I can not find it in the archives.
It depends on what your definition of “toilet” is. In Bali, they have pay hole-in-the-grounds, where you pay roughly 2 cents for the freedom to pee into the hole. (Thank Og, I never needed to shit away from our hotel.) Not all toilets are pay, and some have actual toilets, but the pay pee-hole was culture shock. (And I noticed our driver didn’t pay, so I think it’s demanded of tourists only.)
I understand that some European countries have pay toilets, as well.
These were ubiquitous when I was a kid in the 40’s, I can remember my mother
fuming about them. I think most were a dime. Some places would have both pay, and
free stalls. The theory being that the pay stalls were better maintained and
supplied (use your imagination). I seem to remember that train and bus stations may
have been the innovators of this idea. Bottom line you know.
14th Amendment. Sex discrimination, as RealityChuck noted. Women have to sit to use the facilities; men don’t necessarily. Unless urinals were also pay to play, women would have to pay to use a public accomodation and men wouldn’t.
It’s my 45th birthday today and I didn’t feel old until I read that.
here I sit broken hearted payed a dime and only farted
This is probably the most rewritten poem in the English speaking world.
I believe I can shed some light on this—and I may have played a small part in the change in the law. Back in the late 1960s, as a student at Cornell Unversity, I and a friend rented a table in the student union entrance (the lobby of Willard Straight Hall) just before Christmas break. There we put up a sign which stated the thesis of our Cause:
PAY TOILETS ARE AN AFFRONT TO HUMAN DIGNITY!!!
Indeed they were, as any woman caught short without a dime knew, dancing on her toes, knees locked together, praying that some other woman with a rebellious or sympathetic streak would “hold the door” and allow her to steal a pee from [INSERT AIRPORT NAME HERE.] (Guys could also get caught in a similar fix, though not as often, because you can’t use a urinal to…errr…well, you get the picture.)
At our table, we had about ten thousand stickers available for sale—all the same size, bearing our slogan, and perfect for affixing to the doors of the stalls.
Despite suspicious inquiries from the Left and the Right (were we mocking them? did we think this was SERIOUS?), we sold out—or damn close to it.
I saw these stickers for many years afterwards in a wide variety of locations and heard anecdotal evidence that they had travelled to both coasts and most airline hub cities in between. As well as a few European capitals.
And a few years later, women in state legislatures all over America rose to their feet, cleared their throats, and began “Today, I am here to discuss a somewhat indelicate subject…”
And that, my children, is why you have no idea what the hell a pay toilet is. Lucky you. Now quit peeing on the seat, or I’ll mop it up with your hair.
Earnest thanks, AuntPam.
But those are stalls you are talking about.
Not the actual toilet itself, right?
What I meant was I’ve never heard of a pay toilet, as in the actual fixture and plumbing, not the stall where the toilet is located (which I have heard of, and me and my bladder thank you AuntPam.)
I’m not even sure how something like that would even work. Well, except for WhyNot’s answer, which doesn’t seem entirely enforcable.
I only knew this as:
here I sit broken hearted, came to shit and only farted
I have to ask-was it possible to crawl under the door in an emergency?
Pay toilets are quite common outside the United States.
In Europe these can be quite nice affairs, found in train stations and the like, where you can take a shower, freshen up in front of a nice mirrior, brush your teeth without people looking at you funny and otherwise recover from your journey. All are spotlessly clean and some even offer toiletries. The HUGE disadvantage to them is that if you show up during the hours they are closed, you are screwed.
In India, they tend to be of a “squat on a hole variety.” Usually there is an ante-chamber where an old lady sits at an ancient wooden table collecting one rupee (and she’s pretend not to have change when you don’t have one- which is about two cents- even though she’s been collecting ruppees all day) as you walk in. There is a row of pitchers and a central tub of water and you are expected to bring a pitcher of water in with you to clean yourself off with. You then bring your pitcher back to the central tub and pour some water over your hands. Some nicer places have spigots on the wall, and some less-nice places forgo the holes and just have you squat on a tilted pieces of concrete and then wash everything down into a shared trough of running water at the bottom.
Most of these are independent affairs on village streets, where they act as a public toilet for people out-and-about as well as people who lack access to toilets. Usually men can’t be bothered and just find somewhere free to pee. Most restraunts, bus stations, etc. have their own free bathrooms they maintain for customers.
IMHO squat public toilets are the best thing out there- no need to touch a single thing except with the soles of your shoes.
In Central America, pay toilets vary from a random toilet in a shack with a bunch of kids in front demanding money to nicer places with tiered pricing (want the lights on? want some toilet paper? music?) All the ones I saw were single-stalled and run as side businesses- on streets you’ll see signs saying “Toilet- ask Roberto at the shop across the street, toilet paper extra”.
Anyway, I prefer a pay toilet to none at all. If they are operating independently and not at a facility that should rightfully supply it’s own toilets. I’m all for them.
The overwhelming majority of toilets in Paris streets are pay toilets. You put a coin in a slot, the door opens, and after you leave, the toilet seat moves into the wall or ground, disinfectant is spread, etc…
Two things to avoid when using these :
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Staying for a very long time/having sex in them. If you stay for too long, the door automatically opens in front of all passer-by.
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Trying to slip in when somone else exits in order not to pay. The bowl dissapear, the door closes behind you, and you’re showered with disinfectant.
There are still some older public toilets where a female attendant who’s in charge of cleaning the place is waiting for you with a plate for tips (or maybe now a fixed mandatory amount).
There are also the pay toilets described by a previous poster in train stations, with showers.