Put A Public Bathroom In Every ZIP Code In NYC, Crown Heights Pol Says
NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers gotta go, no matter their ZIP code, according to Crown Heights Councilmember Rita Joseph.
The Brooklyn council member and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine are pushing the city to add public restrooms in every New York City ZIP code with a new bill that Joseph introduced in the legislature last week.
The bill would require the city's parks and transportation department to find a spot in each of the city's 145 ZIP codes to add one of the bathrooms, which they contend are severely lacking throughout the five boroughs.
"Restroom equity doesn’t get the attention that it deserves, but it’s a critical human rights issue," said Joseph.
Access to public bathrooms has long been a sore spot for New York City lawmakers, particularly when many of the small number of comfort stations that do exist shut down during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pre-pandemic, a report from then-Comptroller Scott Stringer found that some neighborhoods had as few as four park bathrooms for every 100,000 residents, and those that did exist were often in unacceptable condition. The city as a whole ranks 93rd in among the 100 largest American cities for its public bathroom access, according to the report.
Previous attempts by lawmakers to add more public bathrooms have yielded little results, including a plan to add 20 "sidewalk toilets" that has been in the works for more than a decade, according to THE CITY.
Under Joseph's bill, finding where to put the public bathrooms will fall to the Department of Transportation, Department of Parks and Recreation and local community boards, who will be tasked with helping the city agencies, according to the bill.
DOT and parks officials will be required to submit a report with at least one location in each ZIP code, along with a plan for the budget, challenges and safety measures needed to put them in place.
The bill is sponsored by Joseph, fellow Crown Heights Councilmember Crystal Hudson, Park Slope Councilmember Shahana Hanif and Bronx lawmakers Pierina Sanchez and Althea Stevens.
“It’s important to me as a mom, as a community member,” Joseph told NY1. “It should be accessible to all: unhoused neighbors, moms with babies who want to change, teens who need to use the bathroom, women during monthlies who want to use the restroom to change.”
Put A Public Bathroom In Every ZIP Code In NYC, Crown Heights Pol Says originally appeared on the Prospect Heights-Crown Heights Patch
