Downtown Albuquerque is strongly considering the construction of public bathrooms partly for the use of Route 66 tourists, reported KRQE-TV.
But it’s not just for tourism reasons (ick):
The report sort of dances around the issue, but I suspect the downtown problem primarily comes from the homeless and those who’ve had a little too much to drink at downtown’s many bars.
What’s interesting is a similar “potty problem” afflicted Albuquerque’s Old Town area about a decade ago. It built public bathrooms, and the problem was largely alleviated. And I’ve seen such bathrooms in other high-tourist areas of towns.
And for those who worry about drug users, New York City opened a few pay toilets that pop open after 15 minutes (with an alarm, of course) and are self-cleaning. Apparently they are popular, but haven’t multiplied quickly because of the expense and bureaucratic hassles.
In terms of public restrooms, you could do far, far worse than the Bryant Park facilities in New York City. It features classical music, fresh flowers and an attendant. It was ranked No. 1 in the world by VirtualTourist.com.
(An image of the much-praised Bryant Park public restrooms in New York City by Comrogues via Flickr)