5 ms·

This is almost entirely an off-topic point; but the public toilet situation in London is pretty dire. Most tube or train stations have limited or no access to f

by nness 7y ago

This is almost entirely an off-topic point; but the public toilet situation in London is pretty dire. Most tube or train stations have limited or no access to facilities, and as a result, nearby businesses have become hostile to people in search of a respite. What we have instead is a gross public urination problem (or worse on some streets). Which the city oddly aimed to solve with street-level urinals; acknowledging the problem and providing a solution which still manages to leave the city smelling like urine. No criticism of the bars and cafes; most of these public facilities have gone abandoned (like the ones outside of Liverpool St. Station). But I do wish the city were more livable and accessible.

new_here 7y ago
This is the real story, right here. Turning old subterranean public toilets into cafes and bars is just another London food scene gimmick.
twic 7y ago
I agree that the situation is bad. Mind you, in my experience, Paris wasn't any better. Here is some actually helpful advice, though: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/143396/where-to-pee-in-london https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/143396/where-to-p... https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/73415/taming-the-nightmare-of-public-toilets-in-the-uk https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/73415/taming-the-...
- monkeynotes 7y ago
  Paris is pretty bad. I was busting at the Austerlitz rail station, the only public toilet was pay to use and I had no cash and limited language ability. I ended up walking to a nearby McDonalds. London is very similar, what limited public bathrooms there are tend to be coin operated.
mstade 7y ago
I feel this is almost universal though, though I'll agree London seems especially bad. I generally go to finer hotels to do my business – not only are they usually cleaner and more hospitable, they also tend to come with a decent bar to fill back up again. Also the lack of trash cans (because terrorists, people tell me) was something that annoyed me to no end while I lived in London.
0-_-0 7y ago
There's even a musical about the subject, at London's St. James Theatre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinetown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinetown
aiisjustanif 7y ago
Pretty sure that is a defensive design choice of London ever since 2005. It's not just a lack of public toilets. It's also a lack garbage bins and opting for see through plastic bags at smaller stations. All of these decisions are to protect against bombs to my knowledge.

by nness 7y ago

new_here 7y ago

This is the real story, right here. Turning old subterranean public toilets into cafes and bars is just another London food scene gimmick.

twic 7y ago

I agree that the situation is bad. Mind you, in my experience, Paris wasn't any better. Here is some actually helpful advice, though: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/143396/where-to-pee-in-london https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/143396/where-to-p... https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/73415/taming-the-nightmare-of-public-toilets-in-the-uk https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/73415/taming-the-...

monkeynotes 7y ago
Paris is pretty bad. I was busting at the Austerlitz rail station, the only public toilet was pay to use and I had no cash and limited language ability. I ended up walking to a nearby McDonalds. London is very similar, what limited public bathrooms there are tend to be coin operated.

mstade 7y ago

I feel this is almost universal though, though I'll agree London seems especially bad. I generally go to finer hotels to do my business – not only are they usually cleaner and more hospitable, they also tend to come with a decent bar to fill back up again. Also the lack of trash cans (because terrorists, people tell me) was something that annoyed me to no end while I lived in London.

0-_-0 7y ago

There's even a musical about the subject, at London's St. James Theatre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinetown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinetown

aiisjustanif 7y ago

Pretty sure that is a defensive design choice of London ever since 2005. It's not just a lack of public toilets. It's also a lack garbage bins and opting for see through plastic bags at smaller stations. All of these decisions are to protect against bombs to my knowledge.