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I did this once in Paris and they told me to pay 2 euros.

komali2 1y ago
I was genuinely shocked to follow signs to a WC in a Brussels train station and find a pay toilet. Stupid thing wouldn't take my CC so when nature calls... I stepped outside the station and was hit with a slap of piss stink. Makes sense! Added my own, what else am I to do? I loved my time in Brussels but it really was gross how often I'd randomly smell piss.
- OJFord 1y ago
  There are open air urinals in a lot of Europe, including Brussels, so as long as that's what you need (and you're male)... I imagine stations are just so high traffic that it's partly an attempt to limit demand, and partly to fund the almost continual cleaning necessary to prevent them being completely disgusting. Kings Cross is paid too for example (but not (London) Waterloo, curiously).
  - komali2 1y ago
    > limit demand I mean that's what I find hilarious about trying to do capitalism to toilets. People gonna poop and pee, there's literally nothing you can supply/demand about it. You can't do congestion pricing on a toilet, people will pee either way! You should just make it easy as possible to pee where you want them to pee, or they're gonna pee where you don't want them to pee. I guess I shouldn't laugh, it exactly the same logic of trying to do capitalism around housing or feeding people...
  - thinkingemote 1y ago
    King's Cross toilets are free, have been for a while. Victoria is free too now. Not sure when they changed. Possibly because of Corona, but maybe for longer.
HarHarVeryFunny 1y ago
British slang for going to the toilet is (or used to be) to "spend a penny" since some public bathrooms required you to put a large pre-decimal penny to open the stall door lock.
SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago
Not paying for bathrooms is a distinctly American thing in the Western world. For instance, the McDonalds I used to go to all the time in Sweden actually has a credit card reader on the door. The story on why it is free is quite interesting, as it used to not be this way in America either: https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroom-restroom-free-market-90683/ https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroo...

I was genuinely shocked to follow signs to a WC in a Brussels train station and find a pay toilet. Stupid thing wouldn't take my CC so when nature calls... I stepped outside the station and was hit with a slap of piss stink. Makes sense! Added my own, what else am I to do? I loved my time in Brussels but it really was gross how often I'd randomly smell piss.

OJFord 1y ago
There are open air urinals in a lot of Europe, including Brussels, so as long as that's what you need (and you're male)... I imagine stations are just so high traffic that it's partly an attempt to limit demand, and partly to fund the almost continual cleaning necessary to prevent them being completely disgusting. Kings Cross is paid too for example (but not (London) Waterloo, curiously).
- komali2 1y ago
  > limit demand I mean that's what I find hilarious about trying to do capitalism to toilets. People gonna poop and pee, there's literally nothing you can supply/demand about it. You can't do congestion pricing on a toilet, people will pee either way! You should just make it easy as possible to pee where you want them to pee, or they're gonna pee where you don't want them to pee. I guess I shouldn't laugh, it exactly the same logic of trying to do capitalism around housing or feeding people...
- thinkingemote 1y ago
  King's Cross toilets are free, have been for a while. Victoria is free too now. Not sure when they changed. Possibly because of Corona, but maybe for longer.

HarHarVeryFunny 1y ago

British slang for going to the toilet is (or used to be) to "spend a penny" since some public bathrooms required you to put a large pre-decimal penny to open the stall door lock.

SOLAR_FIELDS 1y ago

Not paying for bathrooms is a distinctly American thing in the Western world. For instance, the McDonalds I used to go to all the time in Sweden actually has a credit card reader on the door. The story on why it is free is quite interesting, as it used to not be this way in America either: https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroom-restroom-free-market-90683/ https://psmag.com/economics/dont-pay-toilets-america-bathroo...