Designing London’s Recovery

When I first came to London in the 60s, there were many public toilets wherever you went. Gradually councils closed them down or sold them off. Many of the buildings still survive but have been turned into other uses such as offices, restaurants etc. Underground ones have been filled in. It seems London has gone backwards in this respect. It is now thought to be too expensive to pay staff to look after toilets, and if they are left unattended, as many were 60 years ago, they get vandalised. It is ironic that local government that closed most of them is now thinking of restoring them

I recently used the public toilets on a motorway rest station. While not traumatic, it was neither clean nor pleasant. And nothing like the public toilets I experienced when I was in Japan in 2019. There, they were abundant, clean and free, even in the city centres and in train stations.
The only public toilets I am aware of are in Liverpool Street Station and they are not free.

The general lack of public toilets around London are disgraceful. Things like this should be a given in a global city in a supposedly developed country. Go to places like Singapore or Seoul for an idea.

They should also be available in every single tube and railway station as well. No exceptions.

And they should generally be open 24/7, its not like our bodies just stop working in the evening.

Put it this way - we'll know we've got it right when alleyways and doorsteps don't reek of piss.

Some are very expensive and more importantly difficult to pay for

But they are more and more infrequent or not always open limiting journeys

I have only just moved, but my old property was around 200 meters from the town centre that had toilet pods.

These were expensive and normally filthy or out of order. As I lived up a side street my front door became a regular urinal and dedication spot for males and females. I would even find used tampons and condoms on my door step.

To try to combat this I placed a doorbell camera there 5his changed nothing but gave lots of video evidence for 5he council of the issue.

The response was that they cannot prevent this and to report it to the police who are already overworked and unable to attend in time for something not life threatening. The council wouldn’t even ensure their street cleaners who continually swept around this tried to help.

This is a clear sign that too many public toilets were closed or are too expensive to use. Having the right change is an issue so why not add contactless but these things need to be kept clean.

Other cities and countries can do it so why not modern London.

Does it look clean? Does access look safe from anyone following and attacking me? How expensive is it? Good but expensive public toilets in Paternoster Square. Any railway station is good for public toilets. I don't like those individual so-called self cleaning toilets. I have found them at times horribly dirty and there is always the fear of being stuck in them. Shopping malls are good for toilets. Hackney Council installed a row of individual toilets on the Narrow Way a few years ago but they look very exposed so I have never used them. I don't know how often they are cleaned or even if they are still in use. I preferred to use the Macdonalds toilet opposite instead.

Generally I would try to find a department store with a toilet, or even go and buy a takeaway coffee to use their facilities, rather than use public facilities. I would only go to public toilets if desperate as my perception is they will be filthy.

We definitely need more well-maintained public toilets. I have a bladder problem and need to plan my routes via Weatherspoons pubs, National Theatre and other places with decently-maintained toilets. Other major cities in other countries manage to provide them-we should have a whole network of free, clean public toilets. The mainline stations made their toilets free and readily accessible some time ago which was very welcome.

I was in Rainbow Leisure Centre today and visited the toilet. My 6 year old said, 'This toilet smells lovely.' It was such an unusual pleasure. Why can this not be the norm? Once upon a time attendants took pride in caring for public toilets. Sadly now they are either shut (central London) or a smelly disgrace. It doesn't need to be like this. Take pride in public amenities!

I was born in 1948 so I come from a past age when there were public toilets in every suburb of London and in every reasonable sized town. Many of the toilets in London were underground accessed by a stair and surrounded by iron railings. In the City there were also public urinals for men. Many public toilets were looked after by an attendant, cubicles were accessed by a coin operated lock. The best WCs had shiny brass fittings, and one even had fish swimming in glass fronted cisterns. That was in an age when people mattered. Now we look for WCs in a supermarket or public building and sometimes we are lucky. Sometimes there is a horrible abomination called an automatic toilet but I only once used one of these. Being male, in desperation I look for a suitable sized tree in a park where there is often a disused and boarded up public W.C. This is called progress.

When I had a pushchair with my child, I would need to ask a Charing Cross train station worker for access to the toilet. There was only 1 accessible toilet available and it was often smelly and dirty.

My town centre in outer London had public toilets that were almost always out of service, they tried fixing them at one point but I think they are permanently closed. Local businesses don’t want you to use their toilets unless you are a customer. It can be very inconvenient if you are visiting shops without toilets and you need to use the loo.

Toilets need to be checked and cleaned frequently, they need to be well stocked with soap and a way to dry your hands.
They should be free so people aren’t tempted to use nearby walls or corners to relieve themselves when they don’t have the money to pay for access.

Regarding funding, years ago there used to be coin operated ones, which are obviously outdated, and still encourage antisocial urination in the streets by the homeless and poor.
Why not install contactless donation points so customers can 'tap' like an Oyster card, also indicating the times of greatest use or demand? This could charge a nominal amount towards upkeep. With hardly anyone carrying cash these days but most people having Apple/GooglePay or whatever this would be very easy.

One of my biggest irritations is TfL stations having toilets only accessible to those who are inside the station ticket barriers. Areas around stations, often where people are using buses for connection frequently attract beggars or those trying to get home late at night. Ending up waiting due to public transport disruptions often means being caught short.

London needs an official charity to monitor and promote the maintenance and provision of a comprehensive public toilet service. Not to take responsibility for the provision and upkeep, but to support and promote it, and help organisations like Councils, TfL etc manage problems or fund one off installations or refurbishments.

Public toilets could also host electronic, hard-wired emergency help posts like the information points on TfL station platforms. A means of lone individuals calling for help from not only Emergency Services, but homeless charities, social services, domestic violence and so on. Combining a shared, single smart device that charities could subscribe to could cut cost and raise revenue.

Going to the toilet is a necessity, not a luxury. There should be 'free' , easily accessible toilet facilities available (like there used to be). Not having public facilities limits people's ability to travel to certain public spaces and therefore discriminating certain sections of society, and holding the need to visit the toilet could cause health issues, which in turn puts an unnecessary strain on our NHS services.
In Japan, clean, serviced public toilets are everywhere. They do not monetize a facility which is recognised as a normal necessity for all.

There are good public toilets in towns in Wales, for example, Mumbles. They are located by the car park in the town. They are always clean and they are always open when I go shopping there.
By contrast, I can’t remember the last time I used a public toilet in London. Most of them were closed years ago and the few that remain are disgustingly dirty. Occasionally I will use the public toilets in a park as those are sometimes alright but frankly it’s a bit hit and miss. When I was pregnant with my children, I couldn’t go far without needing the loo so I generally stayed very close to home. The other problem with having no clean public toilets is that many areas of London smell of urine because homeless people and people out and about in the evenings have no where to go to the toilet. I feel ashamed as a Londoner when I go past places that smell of urine because I think it is a basic human right to be provided with adequate facilities to relieve oneself. There is no need for people to feel they have no option but to wee into the corner of a building. We are not animals and there should be decent public toilets. I also think public toilets should be clean, warm, well lit, have baby changing facilities, and have drinkable water so that we can fill up our water bottles.

I have to plan my outings in the city to include possible toilet stops as I will need a toilet urgently every hour or so due to medical conditions that are very common at my age. Public toilets are very few and often in disgusting conditions. Loos in coffee shops are often out of order, always for customers only, or have an entry code. Pubs are slightly more reliable but still customers only. The Victorians considered public toilets a mark of civilisation but most of theirs were closed down and never replaced or refurbished.

We should consider a system of staffed toilets which users have to pay to use. I have come accross these in Germany. No doubt some would moan about having to pay, say a £1, but surely much better than not having any provision due to cuts in local authority funding.

Agree with other comments. Toilets should be clean and free. I use those at stations and venues such as The Festival Hall. Otherwise I look for cafes/pubs but these are not always clean. I will not use 'Tardis' toilets! I once (some years ago) used those in Paternoster Square which were excellent but cost 50p. I haven't been back! There are not enough toilets. Also echo the sentiments for people with disabilities - don't know if there is a lift at Charing Cross station toilets but there are a lot of stairs to access the toilets.